Float
by SillyBridget0711
Summary: <html><head></head>Ella fled Star City in an attempt to pick up the scattered pieces of her life with the help of her cousin, Jimmy Olsen. Little did she know the glue to put things back together would come in the form of one green-leather-bedecked hero...</html>
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Note/Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except Ella. This is fluff from the fluffiest parts of my Smallville-centric brain, and doesn't follow canon...it's just the random daydreams that crop up when I can't sleep or need an escape from reality. Enjoy, and review!

"She said 'I think I'll go to Boston, I think I'll start a new life, I think I'll start it over where no one knows my name…'"

-Augustana

I never thought I'd end up in Smallville.

I used to tease my cousin, Jimmy, for hailing and dating someone from such a stereotypical small town, especially one whose claim to fame was initially creamed corn. I teased him even more when I realized how much time he was spending in the land of creamed corn because of his girlfriend, Chloe, especially when he had a perfectly good studio apartment in downtown Metropolis. Jimmy, in turn, would tease me of being a privileged city brat without any clue how to drive a car.

Yet, here I was, crunched into the corner of a slightly smelly Greyhound bus seat with my knees pulled to my chest, staring out the window as we passed the "Welcome to Smallville!" sign that was perched jauntily on the border of town. I bit my lip and tried to ignore the snores of my seatmate, an extremely overweight man who had proceeded to eat Funyuns and beef jerky continuously since we had left Star City. As if the ever-present smell of gas that lingered around him wasn't toxic enough, he burped in his sleep and I muffled a disgusted shriek at the foul smell that began to waft under my nostrils, clamping a hand over my mouth and nose and huddling further into my corner.

When we reached the bus station, I practically threw myself across him and into the aisle. Yanking my leather messenger bag down from the overhead bin, I pushed along the crowded aisle, muttering apologies as my legs propelled me towards the fresh air awaiting me outside the bus. I jumped the last step and landed on the flattop, gratefully sucking in a lungful of air that didn't reek of processed onions. I straightened my teal sweater and smoothed my long dark hair, and began to scan the crowd for Jimmy.

"Ella!" I heard someone shout, and suddenly Jimmy had locked his arms around me as I gasped for air against his rib-cracking embrace. An ice-cold wind whipped around us through the bus depot and I shivered in spite of myself. Jimmy briskly rubbed his arms up and down my back. "Where's your jacket, you twit?" Jimmy himself was clad in dark jeans and a buttery tan leather jacket that looked expensive. I idly wondered where he had gotten it before pulling myself mentally back into the moment.

"Jimmy!" I echoed excitedly, squeezing him back. I had to give Jimmy serious credit. I had called him a little over a week ago from my dingy one-bedroom apartment, asking if I could come stay with him for a while until I got my life back together. In short, I was terrified and desperate and not making much sense on the phone. He had immediately told me to pack my things and even offered to try and find me a job without asking any questions. The one catch to the situation was that he was in Smallville "on a story" – which I knew translated to sucking up to Chloe's father and her friends – so I would have to meet him there. On the bright side, he had mentioned that he was going to talk to the owner of the local coffeehouse to see if she would give me a job until I could get back on my feet in Metropolis. Apparently, she was one of Chloe's best friends.

"Is that all you brought?" Jimmy bent down and slung my messenger bag, which I had dropped in my excitement, over his shoulder. I took the opportunity to take a good look at him; JImmy and I hadn't actually seen each other in almost three years, since he was twenty-one and I was twenty-three. He was still tall and slim, and his blue eyes sparkled in his excited face. His sandy blonde hair was a bit longer and shaggier but he was basically the same Jimmy who had visited me in Star City three summers ago.

I shook my head and motioned towards the bus, where my Funyun-munching seatmate was now perched on a trunk that the driver had plunked next to the bus – none other than my own. I suppressed a gag and strode over to him, my intent to rouse him from his seat before more of his deathly gas managed to leak into my belongings and leave me smelling like processed onions and stale farts for the rest of my life. "Excuse me," I said, pointing to my trunk. "That's mine."

My charming seatmate let loose a loud, toxic, spurt of gas in reply and stood. I carefully kept my eyes averted from Jimmy's because I knew if I looked at him, I would start laughing and never stop. We had that uncontrollable-crying-laughter-effect on each other. "Thanks," I said, trying to breathe through my mouth as I grabbed the handle of the trunk and hauled it towards Jimmy's car with him leading the way. "Nice ride," I remarked, admiring the shiny silver Honda that was parked neatly in its spot.

"Thanks," he replied, and helped me dump my trunk into the trunk with a grunt. "Insurance bought it after the riots." We jumped into the car and slammed the doors in unison, and Jimmy cranked the heat before turning to me, a serious look on his face.

"Tell me what's going on." I knew from his stern tone that I wouldn't be able to wheedle my way out of giving him an explanation, so I sighed, staring out the window as I felt the familiar weight begin to press on my chest. I drummed my fingers on the black door panel, trying to stall. "NOW, Ella, come on. You call me telling me you need to come to Smallville – the place you hate most – to get your life back together? I want to know what's going on!"

"I don't hate Smallville," I replied weakly, flashing him a smile that immediately died on my lips as he smirked at me.

"You've refused to come visit for the past six summers and made me come to Star City because you said you didn't want to catch Mad Cow Disease," he said dryly, and I almost started laughing, but managed to choke it down and pretended to cough instead.

"Yeah, but you love Star City," I replied, grinning. "You WANTED to come there to escape Hickville." Jimmy responded by pinching my arm, and I squealed before replying. "OW! Ok, domestic violence much? I'll tell you…just drive. I need a coffee."

"To the Talon it is." Jimmy shifted the car into park and smoothly pulled out of his parking spot, signaling before turning on to a highway that was surrounded by nothing but waves of bright yellow corn. "You can meet Lana while we're there and wow her with your sparkling personality; maybe it'll get you a job. Now spill."

"Trent," I snapped without meaning to, biting my lip so hard I was certain it would start bleeding any second. "Trent found me." Jimmy swore and swerved a bit in his surprise, and I muffled a scream with the end of my leopard print scarf. "Jesus, Jimmy, focus on the road! I'd prefer not to become corn fertilizer."

"He found you?" he asked, his voice slightly shaky. He kept his eyes on the road, but I could see his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white.

I had almost expected this reaction and nodded silently, my heart beating painfully in my chest. "Came banging into my apartment about a week and a half ago and…" I trailed off, fingering the ribs that still ached when I coughed or laughed too hard. "It was pretty bad."

"Did he hurt you?" Jimmy demanded, his voice seething and rough with anger. I hesitated and considered lying, but Jimmy and I had always prided ourselves on being entirely honest with each other and I wasn't about to ruin that now.

"Yeah," I said bitterly. "I ended up in the hospital. Black eye, concussion, five broken ribs. I'm lucky, really…he tried to throw me down the stairs." Jimmy swore again, punching the steering wheel fiercely, and I swallowed what felt like a golf ball in my throat before continuing. "Luckily my enormously muscular guy neighbor heard what was going on and came over to see if everything was alright; he ended up throwing Trent out."

"Did you call the police?" Jimmy was still gripping the steering wheel like his life depended on it; his face was furrowed in anger and almost unrecognizable.

I scoffed and diverted my gaze out the window again, focusing my eyes on the endless fields that surrounded us. "Come on, Jimmy, we've been there before. We both know it wouldn't have done any good – he would have come after me again, but just more pissed off." I shook my head miserably. "He still thinks I know where my mom is and that I have the money she owes him."

"But you don't, right?" Jimmy asked unnecessarily in his reporter voice. We both knew I hadn't seen my mother since I was seventeen years old, when she had gone on a black-tar heroin binge and walked out the door with all of her ratty belongings and most of my carefully stashed savings. Trent was her psychotic junkie boyfriend who got his daily enjoyment not only from scoring drugs or making money, but from taking his frustrations if those things didn't happen out on both my mom and me when he got home. Usually in the form of a fist.

My aunt Cindy, Jimmy's mom, had come to Star City when I was fifteen and tried to take me back to Smallville with her, but after my mom threw a drug-induced hissy fit and threatened to hit her with a crowbar, she left pretty quickly. She had called the cops and social services in a panic, but my mom dodged that bullet by moving from apartment to apartment on a weekly basis and dragging me along with her. Before she left, my mother had apparently stolen massive amounts of drugs and money from Trent and years later, here he was seeking retribution.

Jimmy and I both lapsed into silence, which I broke a few seconds later. "So that's why I had to leave," I said, clearing my throat loudly to force the lump in it back down, and Jimmy nodded, flicking his eyes over to me. He quickly patted my hand and then put both of them back on the steering wheel, squeezing it as if he were imagining Trent's neck.

"You're not going back," he said in his no-nonsense-Jimmy voice that he so rarely used. "You can stay with me and work at the Talon or the Daily Planet if we can work it out, and figure out what's next, but you're not going back to Star City until we see Trent's name in the obituary section of the paper."

I cleared my throat again, trying desperately to unclog the tears that were building there before they could make their way to my eyes. "Thanks, Jimmy." I stopped, unable to continue for fear of letting loose a sob of relief. Jimmy squeezed my arm in return and we drove in silence for a while, the wind blowing through our hair as the blue sky shone cleanly overhead.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

When we arrived at the Talon, Jimmy swung expertly into the tiny back parking lot in the alley and shoved the car into park. Climbing out, I wrapped my arms around myself – it was much colder in Smallville than it had been in Star City, and I inwardly cursed stuffing my leather jacket into my trunk. I followed Jimmy around the building and in the front door of the Talon and let out a low whistle.

"This place is killer," I said, staring around me. The café was packed full of high school students and other locals; sunlight drifted lazily through the windows and illuminated the eccentric décor and multi-colored walls. Small tables were strewn about, all mismatched, but this made them even more charming. Every booth against the wall was full, and a line of at least ten people stretched out from the antique register, which was being manned by a tall blonde with a fierce expression on her face.

"Right?" Jimmy pushed his way through the crowd, leading me by the elbow towards the front counter where the blonde cashier was impatiently eyeing the line of customers. "All thanks to Lana. And Lex Luthor, of course, for the funding."

"Ah, the mysterious local millionaire," I said, wiggling my eyebrows at him as we maneuvered through the crowd. "So, is he off-limits, or are you going to introduce me?"

Jimmy went red and snorted. "He's not your type, trust me…I don't think he's anybody's type." I could tell there was something that bothered him about Lex, but didn't press the issue. After all, I had just gotten here.

I snickered instead, rolling my eyes. "Completely joking…but I do hope there are some corn-raised farm boys with huge muscles that you're planning to introduce me to." Jimmy rolled his eyes, skirting around a group of teenage girls that were huddled over a pink cell phone and giggling loudly. We reached the paint-splattered counter and I glanced up at the huge chalkboard menu that hung overhead, dying for a soy latte.

"My cousin's over in that booth by the bathrooms, Jimmy," the blonde at the register said smartly, whipping the drawer shut and turning her back on the impatient customer who was trying to order. She was wearing tight jeans and a simple green t-shirt, but was definitely a scene-stealer, even with her long blonde hair snatched into a messy ponytail.

Jimmy got an exasperated look in his face but his voice was polite when he spoke. "Lois, this is my cousin Ella from Star City," he said evenly, and I grinned at her. "We're going to grab some lattes."

"Nice to meet you," the blonde replied, extending a hand to me. "I'm Lois Lane, Chloe's cousin- I work at the Planet, too. Just filling in here while Lana's out of town. " A light bulb turned on in my head and I shook her hand firmly, recalling little bits and pieces that Jimmy had told me about her.

"Ella Harrow," I replied. "Nice to meet you, too. Jimmy's told me a bit about you."

She turned her steely gaze onto Jimmy, whose eyes widened as his cheeks turned pink. I fought a snort of laughter as I watched. "All lovely things, I'm sure," Lois replied dryly. "I'll get some lattes started for you two." She abruptly turned back to the register to help the angry customer who was now red in the face from frustration. I gave a short laugh and glanced at Jimmy, who looked slightly annoyed.

"Alright, dearest, it's time," I announced dramatically, linking my arm through his. "Judgment day. Time for me to meet the creamed corn queen and decide if she's quality enough for my favorite cousin."

Jimmy laughed, pushing back out into the crowd and shaking his head. "Trust me, Chloe is anything but typical of Smallville," he said, and his eyes suddenly lit up as they landed on a girl with short, glossy blonde hair in the back of the café.

Chloe was huddled into a small booth in the corner with her laptop, her fingers flying over the keys as she stared at the screen with a concentrated expression. Clad in ripped jeans, shiny black boots and a sweater not unlike the one I was wearing, Chloe gave off an air of accomplishment as she sipped her coffee and focused on her laptop. "Hi Chlo," Jimmy said happily, sliding into the booth next to her and planting a kiss on her cheek. "This is my cousin Ella."

"Hi," I said in my friendliest tone. "Listen, Jimmy has told me SO much about you, so we're going to have to hang out so I can see if it's all true." Chloe laughed and shook my hand firmly.

"It's all lies…he loves me too much to be able to tell the truth." She and Jimmy shared a furtive smile and I felt the corners of my mouth turning up. They were a cute couple and I was happy Jimmy had finally found someone. "But we'll still hang out – I just hope I don't disappoint you."

I slid into the booth opposite of them and we began to chatter animatedly about Metropolis. I immediately felt at ease with the intelligent and well-spoken girl and had no trouble keeping up a stream of conversation. I knew Jimmy would tell Chloe my circumstances later, and didn't much feel like repeating them myself, so I dodged the question when Chloe asked me what brought me to Smallville. Luckily, Jimmy sensed my discomfort and cleared his throat, straightening his jacket purposefully. 

"Ella, let's grab the coffees and find out when Lana's going to be here," he suggested, and I nodded and slipped out of the booth, absentmindedly smoothing my hair.

"Why do you need to talk to Lana?" Chloe asked curiously, taking another long sip of coffee. Jimmy stretched and yawned before sliding out of the booth.

"Lana might be able to hire Ella until we can find her something in Metropolis. It would just be temporary. Ella has her bachelor's in English, she just didn't have time to job search before she came here." I gave Jimmy a small smile. I had worked at a small copywriting firm in Star City and loved my job…it had been painful to leave it behind, although my boss understood my circumstances.

Chloe nodded thoughtfully, and then her eyes lit up as she suddenly slapped the table in excitement. "We have a position opening up at the Planet," she exclaimed, slamming her laptop shut. "Evelyn from downstairs is leaving; she's knocked up. We're going to replace her since she's taking maternity leave and has been sort of hinting that she doesn't want to come back. It's not challenging, mostly editing and copywriting and blurbs, so you might be a little bit bored, but you're a shoo-in for the job! Jimmy's read me your stuff before, like your blog and some of your freelance articles! I'm going to talk to my editor, put in a good word." She stopped and took a breath.

I smiled hugely at her. "Thank you so much," I said sincerely. "Even if it doesn't amount to anything, the fact that you're willing to do that for me means so much." Chloe smiled and nodded at me, sitting back down in the booth and pulling her computer towards her once more. Jimmy grinned fondly at his girlfriend before grabbing her empty mug and pulling me across the café once more to pick up our drinks and presumably, get Chloe a refill. No wonder she was so focused – she probably had enough caffeine coursing through her system to give an elephant a heart attack.

Jimmy stopped by the counter, which was covered in brightly colored mosaic tiles, and handed me my latte. He began to negotiate a refill from Lois, who was snapping irritably at customers at this point. I took my time dumping a few sweeteners in my cup and let my attention wander as I took a sip.

"Ella, hello? You there?" I snapped back into the moment as Jimmy waved his hand in front of my face. "I want you to meet someone." I politely looked over at the person he was talking to and oddly, felt a jolt in my stomach. He was over six feet tall, clad in dark jeans and a black leather jacket, with spiky caramel-colored hair. His brown eyes felt were warm and seemed to burn intensely as he studied me and extended his hand.

"Oliver Queen," he said lightly. I shook his hand, tingles racing up my arm, and tried to formulate something in response. I knew who he was; I had read stories in the newspapers about him and seen him splashed across the television screen and internet. I just hadn't realized how handsome he actually was in person. Nor did reading about him on give me the butterflies I was experiencing at that moment.

"Ella Harrow," I said rather quietly, and then bit my lip and silently berated myself. Clever, Ella, very clever. We were still gripping hands and staring into each other's eyes and Jimmy cocked an eyebrow at me, smirking. I flushed and pulled my hand from Oliver's grip, at which point the tingling sensation stopped, to my disappointment.

"So what's a pretty girl from Star City doing in Smallville?" Oliver asked curiously, leaning against the counter as he sipped a coffee. His eyes were still glued to me and I fought a silly grin that was threatening to spread across my face.

"It's a long story," I replied lightly, still flushed as I concentrated on not stumbling over my words. "It looks like I may be between here and Metropolis for a while until I figure out what I'm doing." Oliver nodded, his eyes still focused on my face. I dimly heard the noises of the cafe fading in and out, but I was so concentrated on the person in front of me that it was almost dream-like.

"Well, I look forward to it," he said warmly, and I felt a pleasant jolt in my stomach again. "Hopefully I'll see you both later? I'm having some people over for margaritas tonight and I invited Chloe, Clark and Lois already. "

"I need to get back to Metropolis, so yeah, we'll be there. I'll bring salsa." Jimmy nodded importantly, dumping about ten pounds of sugar into his coffee cup.

"Thanks, man," Oliver said, grinning at him. "See you later. Around seven." He glanced at me once more before draining his coffee and making his way out of the café, waving to Chloe.

"What the hell was that?" Jimmy switched modes as he pulled me through the café, back to the table where Chloe was again huddled over her computer, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Oliver couldn't take his eyes off of you, and you looked like someone hit you in the face with a frying pan." He took a swig of his latte and squinted at me. "I've seen him around a lot of girls and he's NEVER looked at them like that before."

"Shut up, busybody. Leave the investigative reporting to Chloe." As tart as my words were, I knew my face was bright red, and my heart was beating a bit faster at Jimmy's words. 

Chloe grinned up at me, wiggling her eyebrows. "Oliver Queen, billionaire, ladies' man, bachelor from Star City. 27 years old, works for his father's company, lives by himself in a loft in downtown Metropolis-"

Jimmy cut her off. "Likes salsa." I giggled and shook my head as I sat down next to Chloe. "Oliver was about to burn holes in her with his eyes," he said, making a creepy expression at me as Chloe burst into laughter.

"That's a good thing," she reassured me when she could breathe again. "So, you and Oliver? Could work…you're around the same age…I'm not quite sure what you're like still but from what Jimmy's told me you're pretty easygoing…" I could see her brain working overtime and I coughed nervously. "Oh! Anyway, I just talked to my editor! Turns out Evelyn is leaving a bit sooner than we thought because she has to go on bed rest. Can you start in a week?"

I stared at Chloe, positively speechless, and then clapped my hands to my mouth to muffle my squeal. Jimmy jumped slightly in his seat as Chloe grinned an irresistible grin at me. "Absolutely!" I exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "I can't thank you enough Chloe, I swear I won't let you down!"

Chloe waved her hand at me. "Don't be silly, I have faith in you." Jimmy squeezed her hand and gave her a smile so sappy I almost puked up my latte into my lap. "We should get back to Metropolis, Jimmy," she said, shutting her laptop again. "We have to run to the store to get stuff for Oliver's." With that she smirked at me and I felt myself blush to the roots of my hair. "I'm riding back with you, right? I rode in with Clark this morning."

Jimmy nodded and we picked up our coffees, waving at Lois as we pushed our way through the crowded café and out into the street. Chloe crammed into the back of Jimmy's car despite my protests to sit in the front seat, and I began to fiddle with Jimmy's radio as he shouted at me to stop and I giggled helplessly. It only took about forty-five minutes to reach Metropolis; I eyed the skyline impassively. I had been to Metropolis several times and always preferred the clean and warm atmosphere of Star City to the somewhat grimy hustle and bustle of Smallville's neighboring city. Jimmy drove into central downtown and pulled into a small parking garage that was dimly lit. We clambered out of the car and I helped Jimmy pull out my trunk, taking one side of it and following him up several narrow flights of dark stairs. The building smelled vaguely of Chinese food and wet dog, and I wrinkled my nose as we stopped outside Jimmy's door. He fiddled with his keys for a moment and finally slipped the right one in, swinging the door open.

I stepped in with a low whistle. "You know, they say to never judge a book by its cover, and in this case they are absolutely right." Jimmy beamed proudly as I began to wander around, taking in his tiny one bedroom apartment. The windows were large and clean, and the apartment positioned in such a way that sunlight spilled through them for most of the day. The apartment was airy and smelled like fresh laundry, and was decorated in mostly dark red and navy furnishings. I could see Jimmy's oak bed positioned in the corner of his bedroom to make room for a dresser and computer desk, and a there was a tiny bathroom that was tiled in cream and tan.

"And this is your 'room,'" Chloe said excitedly, making air quotes with her fingers. "I helped Jimmy set it up last night." She led me over to a folding divider and I peeked behind it. Jimmy had set up a futon with bright purple sheets, and a small nightstand with a lamp and alarm clock. I bit my lip, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. "The futon is from my place; Lois and I usually take turns sleeping on it but we got a grown-up couch that pulls out."

Impulsively, I hugged the blonde girl and then hugged Jimmy as well. "Thank you," I said, feeling overwhelmed. "I cannot thank you guys enough." I felt tears of gratitude stinging my eyes and Chloe squeezed my arm as if she understood.

"We're going to run to the store," she said. "Do you want to come? Or stay here and unpack and get settled? We're supposed to go to Oliver's around 7:00." I felt a tingle of anticipation and suddenly craved a hot shower and fresh makeup.

"I'll unpack," I replied, digging a $20 bill out of my messenger bag. "Buy a bottle of tequila on me. You know what I like." I winked at Jimmy who grinned back and pulled Chloe out the door behind him.

"Use the hall closet for your stuff!" He shouted, and then the front door slammed and I was alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I dragged my trunk over to the aforementioned closet and swung the door open, grinning as I realized Jimmy had cleaned the entire thing out so I would have room for my belongings. I quickly unpacked and then jumped in the shower, shivering as I climbed out and pulled my bathrobe around me a few minutes later. I could hear Chloe and Jimmy chatting amiably in the kitchen and bit my lip, staring at my reflection in consideration before calling out.

"Hey, Chloe? Can you come here for a second?" A moment later, Chloe's blonde head popped into the tiny bathroom, her nose red from being out in the icy wind.

"We got tequila and enough chips and salsa to feed an entire third world country," she announced. "What's up?"

I could feel my cheeks turning pink but spoke anyway. "Um, I was wondering if you were going to change or not." Chloe smirked at me, the reporter in her picking up on my unspoken question immediately. She grabbed my hand and pulled me out into the living room.

"I'll help you pick something to wear," she said happily, pawing through the clothes I had hastily hung in my closet. "I'm just going to put on a clean shirt and fix my makeup, but we want you to look dazzling for Oliver Queen." She put on a fake British accent at the end of her declaration and I giggled in spite of myself.

"Not too dazzling," Jimmy said warningly from the couch, where he was sipping a beer and thumbing through a photography magazine. "Queen is a player, Chloe. I don't know why you're encouraging this." Chloe rolled her eyes surreptitiously at me before replying.

"Because, HONEY, people can change. And it could be worse- it could be Lex that Ella's eyeing." Jimmy groaned loudly and proceeded to fill me in on the Lex Luthor saga for the next twenty minutes, punctuating his points with angry motions of his beer bottle. Chloe ignored him and grabbed us two beers from the fridge before hustling me into the bathroom. After a bit of consideration, I decided to wear dark skinny jeans and a red sweater that had a bit of a plunging neckline, with knee high black boots. I carefully blew my hair out (Jimmy continued to shout his disgust of Lex Luthor over the sound of the dryer) and applied makeup as Chloe sat on the toilet and fixed her own with a compact, laughing silently at Jimmy's tirade.

"Are you done ranting, love?" she asked him sweetly as we packed up our makeup and went back into the living room. "We have time for one more beer if we don't want to be late." Chloe dropped into Jimmy's lap and I gazed out the window. Evening was settling in over Metropolis even though it was only a bit after six; darkness crept into the corners of the city with its dark-purple hue and I could see stars starting to twinkle above me.

"Sorry," Jimmy grumbled. "I just hate him." Chloe kissed him soundly on the forehead and I found myself grinning at their antics. They really were a good match.

"I know you do. Now let's have another beer and pretend like the Luthors don't exist." I grabbed three more beers out of Jimmy's sparklingly clean refrigerator and tossed them to him and Chloe. We talked for a bit, relaxing and taking in the view of the city as darkness overwhelmed it, and then Chloe stood and pulled on her coat. "Ready?"

I followed them out of the apartment and down the dingy stairs; apparently, Oliver's loft was only several blocks away. I was carrying the tequila and digging through my purse for lip gloss when Jimmy stopped and a doorman in a suit opened the large glass doors to a marbled lobby. "Hi, Ed," he remarked to the doorman, who nodded solemnly at him. We stepped onto the elevator and I raised my eyebrows as Jimmy hit the button for the penthouse. "He's Oliver Queen," he said, shrugging. "What else would you expect?"

The elevator was similar to that of a construction site elevator; as we reached the top floor, Jimmy swung the doors open and we stepped out into a gorgeous loft apartment. Everything was modern and sleek silver and black; I saw metal stairs that no doubt led to other rooms tucked behind a bookcase. Random trendy people were milling about as music pumped out of an impressive stereo system above an obscenely huge flat screen TV. Peering over Jimmy's shoulder, I saw Oliver sitting on the counter in the kitchen, talking to Lois and a guy with dark brown hair as he sipped a Dos Equis. "Hey," he called, motioning us in. "It's the salsa man!"

Jimmy laughed and swung the three grocery bags he had been toting up on the counter. "Didn't have time to make it this week but I got the best brand I could find," he said proudly. I waved to Lois, who was sucking on a lime and staring at Oliver. There was no question as to why she was staring at him – he looked ridiculously hot in a tight-fitting green button down and jeans, his feet encased in black loafers.

"Ella, this is Clark," Jimmy said, elbowing me and jostling me back to reality. He motioned to the tall guy with dark hair and piercing blue eyes whose demeanor absolutely screamed Smallville. "Clark is from Smallville too; he works at the Daily Planet and his mom is Martha Kent."

"The senator," I remarked, impressed. "I'm very happy with what your mother's done in her political career so far."

Clark smiled at me, revealing a mouth of surprisingly imperfect teeth – not what I expected from someone with such high cheekbones and huge eyes. "I'll tell her you said so," he said, and shook my hand firmly. "It's nice to meet you."

I grinned back at him and felt eyes on me; shifting my gaze slightly, I found Oliver's glued to my face. "It's nice to see you again," I said rather shyly, giving him a half wave. He jumped down off the counter and maneuvered around Chloe and Jimmy, who were heaping chips and salsa into bowls and arguing with Lois. The bass in the current song was making the apartment's windows rattle, but the noise faded out as Oliver approached me.

"Thanks for coming," he said warmly, his brown eyes locked on mine. I smiled and offered him the tequila I was still clutching. "Good taste in liquor, Ms. Harrow!" He eyed the bottle, impressed.

I shrugged. "After one too many hangovers from crappy tequila, you start to get picky. I'd rather lay out extra money than be puking in the trash can next to my desk all day." Oliver laughed and nodded.

"Definitely," he said, and put a hand on my shoulder. "Obviously, I've met my drink-mixing assistant. Will you help me with the margaritas?"

"Assistant?" I asked him tartly, plucking the bottle out of his hand again. "You mean you've obviously met your match. I make the best margarita in Kansas, Queen." He grinned at me, cocking his eyebrow as I realized his hand was still on my shoulder.

"I think that's a challenge," he said lightly, and I nodded, grinning. "We'll take a vote and see who's the better bartender." Chloe and Jimmy were laughing and Clark watched quietly from his seat on a high stool, as Lois began to pull glasses out of a cabinet. I heard a burst of laughter and shouting from the living room area, but couldn't see what was going on through the crowd of people.

"And the winner gets?" I asked, brushing by him to pick up a shaker. I could feel him staring at me, intrigued, and I pushed my hair over my shoulder.

"Winner gets OUT of cleaning up," Jimmy suggested loudly, sipping another beer. "Last time we made margaritas this place was trashed… lime juice on the ceiling." I laughed. Another roar of laughter echoed through the living room and I saw people beginning to make their way out onto the balcony to smoke, despite the freezing weather. The group echoed their agreement. Oliver stepped up behind me; I could feel his breath on my ear and tried not to visibly shiver as I began to slice up a lime, purposefully acting like I was unaware of his presence. Chloe, Jimmy, Lois and Clark were now bantering about beer, and Jimmy was vehemently defending his choice of Corona as the beer of the decade.

"How about a side bet?" Oliver suggested quietly, and I smirked without turning to look at him. "If I win, I get to take you out on a date."

I glanced at him, grinning in spite of myself. "But I barely know you," I protested half-heartedly. "All I know is what I've read in the papers. And on … he thinks you're really hot, by the way."

"Then this is the perfect excuse to get to know me," he replied with a grin that made my stomach feel like frogs were jumping around inside of it. "I win, we go on a date. You win…"

"I win, you give me an interview for the Planet," I replied quickly. "Chloe and Jimmy got me a job there and I need to make myself noticed." Oliver cocked his head at me and seemed to be evaluating me, but then grinned.

"You're on. Let's do it." We mixed our drinks carefully, but still chatted to each other easily as Chloe and Lois loudly continued to tease Jimmy about his "girlish" beer.

"So, why did you come here from Star City?" Oliver asked as I poured my margarita over ice. I involuntarily tensed up and was pretty sure he noticed, but quickly tried to play it off.

"Ah, sir, that question will have to wait. It's time for the judging." I hopped up onto the counter with a grin. "Jimmy, voting time!" Oliver jumped up next to me, his leg grazing mine, and I fought the frogs in my stomach again.

"Make me proud, cousin," Jimmy said, and took a gulp of my margarita, followed by Oliver's. "Oh, no question. Ella's." I cheered and passed the glasses to Chloe, aware of Oliver watching me out of the corner of his eye.

"Oooh, I like you a lot, Ella, but I have to say Oliver's," Chloe said with an apologetic grimace. "I like orange juice in mine."

"We're not friends anymore, but ok," I teased her, and she laughed. "Clark?"

Clark took a careful sip of both drinks and seemed to ponder the issue for a moment. "Ella," he finally said decidedly, and passed the glasses to Lois, who drank deeply from both before casting her vote.

"Ollie's." Oliver and I looked at each other, grinning.

"A tie!" Chloe exclaimed. "Well, what's the tie breaker?" She tucked a couple of loose strands of hair behind her ear, sipping off of Jimmy's beer.

"I think Ella and I should taste each other's drinks," Oliver suggested, winking at me. "We're both grown up enough to concede if we really think the other is better."

"You're on," I said, clicking the edge of his margarita against mine, which he was holding. "Cheers, Queen." I took a sip and immediately knew it was the best margarita I had ever tasted. "Hmm. Did you take a bartending class at prep school?"

Everyone laughed and Oliver smiled wickedly at me. "Good, right?"

I nodded, my heart beginning to beat a bit faster as I realized what I was about to do. "Being the lovely, mature young woman that I am, I'm going to have to concede to Mr. Queen. The orange juice makes his seriously own mine." I gave him my most innocent smile and the corners of his mouth pulled up into an enormous grin.

"Alright, Ollie, that means you make the next round!" Lois called, and pulled Chloe and Clark over to the sleek black leather couch, where a crowd of people were shouting and laughing over something that was on TV. Jimmy went off in search of the bathroom and I began to concentratedly wipe the counter where Oliver had spilled sour mix.

"So. You conceded." Oliver took the dishtowel from me and I turned to him, my face innocuous. "You must actually WANT to go on a date with me."

I shrugged impassively, but I was fighting giddy laughter. "I guess we'll never know," I said lightly. "I really like orange juice." Oliver laughed loudly and pulled the tequila towards him.

"A shot for the best damn bartenders in Metropolis?" he proposed, and I nodded effusively. "And then I'll teach you my margarita recipe." I took the shot of tequila he offered me and after clinking our glasses together, we both took the shot in one swift gulp. "Will tomorrow night work?"

"For a date?" I said coyly, the tequila buzzing through my system. "I don't see why not."

Oliver grinned boyishly. "I'll pick you up at seven. Dress warm." I felt a lurch of excitement in my stomach and proceeded to watch him carefully make a batch of margaritas, my mind a million miles away.

"Pass me the orange juice, please?" Oliver requested a moment later, and my fingers brushed his as I handed him the jug. I felt the same tingle I had felt earlier in the Talon and flushed pink, but tried to play it off by ducking down to adjust my boot and hiding my face behind my hair. Oliver shook up the drinks and began to rapidly pour them and pass them off. He slid chunks of lime and orange onto the rim of one of the salty glasses and handed it to me. "Cheers, pretty girl from Star City."

"Cheers," I echoed, tried not to blush again, diverting my attention to where Jimmy was initiating a game of beer pong in the living room. "Am I keeping you from your guests?"

Oliver took a sip of his drink before answering. "Fortunately, yes. Besides the Smallville crowd, everyone that comes over only comes so they can drink and eat for free. And probably sell a story or two to the newspapers in the morning."

I pulled a face, feeling a little bit sorry for him. A crash and the tinkle of breaking glass resounded in the living room and I flinched. "And apparently trashing your place is also on the agenda."

Oliver made an annoyed face and strode over to where someone had knocked over a picture frame, shattering it on the marble floor. "Let's cool it down a little, shall we?" he shouted over the din, and I grabbed a broom and dustpan from a cabinet that was partially opened, making my way over to help him clean up.

"Thanks, Ella," he said as he swept, flashing me a warm smile. "Most of the girls here wouldn't even know what a broom looked like." I heard an indignant noise behind me and turned to see Chloe with her hands on her hips.

"Except you and probably Lois," Oliver quickly amended, flashing her a handsome grin and straightening up.

"Ella, Jimmy's asking for you," Chloe said, jerking her chin in his direction. I looked over to see Jimmy's green eyes boring into me; he looked aggrEllated and I set off towards him.

"Ella." Obviously, Jimmy was drunk – he had taken a bottle of tequila over to the living room and he and Lois had been matching each other shot for shot. He managed to slur my name even though it was composed primarily of vowels. "Ella, stay away from Queen. He'll just play you like he plays all his other pieces of arm candy." I noticed Lois listening with interest and rolled my eyes.

"Jimmy," I said in a placating voice, playfully pinching his cheek. "Are you looking out for your old maid of a cousin?" I settled down onto the couch next to him. "Don't worry about me; I'm fine."

"Ella, you don't understand," Jimmy slurred again. "I've seen Oliver with more girls than I can count since I got to Star City. He recycles them. You need to be careful – don't get involved with him." Chloe was listening as well now, perched on the table across from Jimmy and sipping a margarita as she amusedly observed her drunken boyfriend.

"Thanks for looking out for me, J. But I can take care of myself."

"Is that why you left Star City?" Jimmy asked incredulously and loudly, and I felt my face flame with embarrassment and annoyance. I abruptly stood and turned to see Oliver. He had obviously heard the last part of the conversation and his face was a mixture of irritation and concern.

"I need a drink," I mumbled, pushing past him and Chloe and heading to the kitchen, where I snagged a margarita that was mostly tequila off of the counter. I began to sip it, chewing forcefully on the straw as I tried to keep the images I hated seeing most out of my mind.

"Care to step outside with me?" A warm voice said quietly in my ear. I knew it was Oliver from the reflection in the oven window and nodded, trying to quell my annoyance with Jimmy. I followed him out onto the porch and pulled a face as the wind cut through my jacket.

"Maybe not…it's freezing out here." I started to retreat inside but Oliver caught my arm.

"Bear with me for a second," he said, and gently pushed me down into a chair. I immediately pulled the blanket sitting on the back of it around me and pulled my knees to my chest, and suddenly felt warmth radiating from above me. I looked up to see a portable heater glowing red and shivered as it began to steadily thaw me out. Oliver dropped a flap at the end of the porch, cutting the wind and making it noticeably warmer.

"Ok, ok," I said begrudgingly. "I'll stay." Oliver laughed and dropped into the chair beside me, and it was then that I noticed he had procured a pitcher of margaritas for us. "Well done, sir. It's toasty warm and there's alcohol available."

"You looked like you could use a break in there," he said carefully. "Your cousin is a little wasted." I nodded, pulling a long sip of limey goodness through my straw. "I don't recycle girls, you know."

I help up a hand; I could feel a buzz slowly building and it was making me braver. "You don't owe me any explanations, Oliver. I barely know you. It's just one date." Oliver shook his head impatiently.

"I don't want my chances to be ruined because people think I'm some sort of player," he said determinedly, his face intense with emotion. "I don't date girls for long because usually, they turn out to be golddiggers or fakes or fame whores. Who wants to be around that? I don't want to be with someone who's using me." He lapsed into silence.

"Well, that's not my aim. I actually have a secret fortune from a special tomato soup recipe that I came up with. It involves water and McDonald's ketchup, but that's all I can tell you." Oliver laughed loudly and I joined him, feeling like a little bit of the weight had been lifted off of my chest.

"What's the secret ingredient?" he asked, shifting in his chair so that his leg was almost touching mine.

"Please. You think I'm going to tell you? I'd have to throw you off of this balcony." We both laughed again and I caught Oliver gazing intently at me. I bit my lip and changed the subject. "Look at that skyline." We both glanced out over the city, which was sparkling white in the velvety blue darkness.

"Do you want to tell me why you left Star City?" he asked casually a bit later.

"Erm…no." I shook my head, feeling a bit sick at the thought. "I will later, I promise. I don't want to talk about it tonight. I just want to enjoy this view and this margarita and the company."

"Sounds perfect to me," Oliver replied nonchalantly, and effortlessly changed the subject to Smallville and how bizarre of a town it was. We chatted and the time flew by; before I knew it, it was almost two in the morning and Chloe was slipping out onto the porch.

"I think I need to get Jimmy home," she said nervously. "He's reaching the vomitage point and that's the last thing I feel like dealing with." I stood and dropped my blanket on the chair, feeling a pleasant rush as the tequila reached my head. "Do you want to stay?" She flicked her eyes sideways at Oliver.

"No, I'll help you with the drunken lout," I replied. Oliver stood and followed us inside. Jimmy was sitting on the couch, completely out of it as he watched Spike TV with Clark. I pulled him up by his arms and he hugged me tightly as I recoiled from his beer breath.

"I love you cousin," he slurred, swaying on his feet. "I'm happy you came here. You're the best cousin I have." I laughed.

"I love you too, even though you smell like a brewery floor," I said cheerfully, slinging one of his arms over my shoulder. "Let's get you home. You're going to be very mad at yourself in the morning."

"No way," Jimmy disagreed, and hiccupped.

"Thank you, Oliver," I said, smiling at him as I tried to drag Jimmy to the elevator. "Tonight was nice."

"I'll pick you up at Jimmy's at seven," he said, his gaze fixed on me. "Welcome to Metropolis, pretty girl from Star City."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

When I woke up the next morning, I could hear Jimmy retching into the toilet. I grimaced and yanked a sweatshirt over my head before padding into the kitchen to make coffee. I searched through the fridge until I found the ingredients to make Jimmy a greasy breakfast sandwich, and set that and two mugs of steaming coffee out for him and Chloe.

She came out of the bedroom a bit later, dressed for work in a red pencil skirt and tight black blouse. "You're a life-saver," she remarked, grabbing a cup of coffee and breathing deep. "I didn't think he'd make it to work today. This'll make him feel much better."

I slid onto the counter, gripping my own mug of coffee. "I try," I said drily. Chloe laughed and then Jimmy stumbled out into the living room, rubbing his red eyes.

"Thanks, Ella," he mumbled, and started to inhale the sandwich. "Sorry if I was annoying last night."

"Not annoying. Maybe a little. But amusing, yes." I grinned at him and Chloe wandered over to refill her mug, having slugged back an entire cup of coffee already.

"What time is Oliver picking you up tonight?" Before I could answer her, Jimmy groaned loudly and clanked his fork down onto his plate.

"No, no, no!" he said irritably. "You're not going on a date with Oliver Queen!" I turned to face him with an icy expression; my patience was usually at a low level in the morning, especially with a mild hangover, and today was no exception.

"Jimmy. I am 23 years old. I can date whomever I want. I appreciate you letting me stay with you from the bottom of my heart but you're not my dad, so butt out." Chloe winked at me as she passed by, and Jimmy mumbled something in a disgruntled voice but let the matter drop.

They left for the Daily Planet shortly thereafter, and I was alone in the apartment. I had planned to spend the day sorting through my writing files and organizing them into an electronic portfolio, but as I opened my laptop and began to sift through them, I found myself completely distracted. I sipped another cup of coffee and tried to force myself into productivity, but after a couple of hours, gave up.

I yanked on a pair of jeans and my Uggs, pulling a Star City University hoodie over my head and grabbed my messenger bag. If I couldn't concentrate in the apartment, I would try to concentrate outside of it. I remembered passing a Starbucks on the way into downtown, and made up my mind to wander around a bit and then sit down and finish my work before my date with Oliver.

Metropolis was nothing like Star City. Where Star City was rarely anything but sunny and mild, Metropolis was cold. Everything seemed to have a grey tinge to it, but that could have been because the sky was a foreboding iron color. Mist drifted down from the heavy clouds and I made a face, pulling the hood of my sweatshirt up to keep my hair dry.

I wandered for a bit, but the weather made it unpleasant and as soon as I reached the Starbucks I dipped inside, grateful for the warmth and dryness. I slung my bag into a small corner table and ordered a latte, and sat down to take full advantage of the free Wi-Fi and get some work done. I was scrutinizing an old paper I had written on feminist ideals and _All the King's Men_ when an IM popped up on my screen.

Queen198427: Hey, it's Oliver.

Chickvicious18: Hey! I figured as much. What's up with the unoriginal screen name, Queen?

Queen198427: I'm not very creative with screen names, it's a terrible flaw. It's ruined several relationships. What's up with yours, chickvicious?

Chickvicious18: LOL. I went through a brief punk-rock-Sex-Pistols-Sid-Vicious obsession and I've been to busy/lazy to change it since then. How'd you get my screen name?

Queen198427: Chloe. I woke up this morning and I couldn't wait to talk to you again. Hope this isn't stalker-ish.

Chickvicious18: I don't think so, but if it technically is considered stalker-ish, I guess I'm weird because I'm glad you did it.

Queen198427: Excellent. What are you doing?

Chickvicious18: Sitting at Starbucks trying to work on my writing portfolio but billionaire playboys keep interrupting me; it's rough.

Queen198427: LOL. Why aren't you out exploring the city?

Chickvicious18: It's gross out. It was misting on me and it's so gray and depressing…Starbucks is nice and WARM.

Queen198427: Fair enough. Metropolis is quite a change from Star City, huh?

Chickvicious18: Yeah, but besides the weather, it's a nice change Good people.

Queen198427: I can only hope I'm included in that genre.

Chickvicious18: I don't really know you too well YET…but I think yes.

Queen198427: Can you feel me smiling through the screen? I'll let you get back to work. I just wanted to say hello. I'm excited to see you tonight. Make sure you dress warm.

Chickvicious18: Me too! I'll see you at 7, stalker. Oh, and why do I need to dress warm?

Queen198427: I can't tell you- where we're going is a surprise!

Chickvicious18: I can see it now: "Business tycoon Oliver Queen discovered to have collection of girls' severed heads behind his bookcase."

Queen198427: LOL. Trust me, it'll be fun. I even ran it by Chloe to make sure my judgment's not way off.

Chickvicious18: Well, I'm looking forward to it…later, Queen!

Queen198427: So am I. See you soon, pretty girl from Star City.

A permanent grin was stuck on my face and I stared vacantly at the screen, replaying the night before and today's conversation in my mind. I knew working on my portfolio would definitely be hopeless now, so I shut my laptop, grabbed a refill, and yanked up my hood before trudging back out into the misty weather and heading back to Jimmy's apartment. It was almost 4:00 and I knew he and Chloe wouldn't be home until closer to 6, so I decided to take a long, hot shower and paint my nails.

I was just finishing applying a second coat of black mascara when I heard Jimmy's front door open and voices in the hall. "Hi!" I peeked out, waving to Jimmy and Chloe, who were carrying grocery bags and looked frozen to the bone but cheerful.

"Hi!" Chloe said happily, dumping her bags onto the counter and grabbing one out of Jimmy's arms before he could drop it. "Let me see you!" I stepped out of the bathroom a bit shyly, spinning in a quick circle. I had taken Oliver's advice and dressed warm- I was wearing dark skinny jeans, a cream-colored cable knit turtleneck with graceful bell sleeves, and knee-high brown suede boots. I had applied light, soft makeup and curled my hair, and I bit my lip as Chloe and Jimmy smiled in unison. "You look so pretty," Chloe said, grinning at me. "And appropriately dressed for the date destination."

"OK, where's he taking me?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest and jutting a hip out with what I hoped was authority. Chloe and Jimmy both just laughed at me; Jimmy started putting groceries away while Chloe worked on opening a bottle of wine.

"I can't tell you," she said gleefully. "I crossed my heart and hoped to die…not something you want to take lightly with a billionaire business tycoon." I shook my head but laughed and retreated back into the bathroom to finish beautifying.

At seven on the dot, someone buzzed up. Jimmy's face took on a gleeful, almost evil look and I gave him a warning slap on the head as he passed me where I was sitting at the counter with Chloe, sipping a diet coke and asking her questions about the Daily Planet. "Ow, what?" he demanded as he buzzed Oliver up.

"You know what," I said evenly, giving him my best ice queen stare. "Don't say anything mean." Jimmy scoffed at me, rolling his eyes, but his face still looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Don't worry," Chloe murmured to me. "He may act tough but deep down he looks up to Oliver. He won't say anything rude."

I felt like I was holding my breath as I waited for Oliver to reach the door and had to remind myself to breathe in and out. The doorbell rang and I jumped; Chloe giggled and Jimmy swung the door open in a grandiose manner.

"Mr. Queen," he said in a regal tone, bowing to Oliver. I ignored him; my attention was focused on Oliver. He was wearing jeans and a black sweater with his leather jacket pulled on over it; in his hands, he was carrying a small purple orchid.

His eyes searched the room and when they landed on me, he smiled somewhat shyly. "Hey," he said, stepping in and nodding to Jimmy. "Hi, Chloe."

"Hi Ollie," she replied brightly. "That's pretty!" She motioned towards the orchid he was still clutching.

"Oh!" He crossed the small kitchen and handed me the orchid with a grin. "This is for you. I figured flowers were kind of cheesy but I could pass this off as a housewarming gift." He shrugged and I smiled, jumping off the counter.

"Thank you so much!" I said, crossing the room. "It'll cheer up my 'room'." I set the orchid carefully on the windowsill next to the futon, admiring how the purple matched the sheets. "Well done, Mr. Queen, it even matches!" Oliver grinned again, shifting from foot to foot.

"Where are you two off to tonight?" Jimmy asked, crossing his arms and giving us a stern look. I rolled my eyes and looked at Oliver, whose face indicated that he was about to start laughing.

"Shut up, Jimmy, you know it's a surprise," Chloe interjected as I began to open my mouth to tell him the same thing. "Have fun, guys! See you in the morning, Ella." She smiled widely at us and poured Jimmy a glass of wine, thrusting it into his hands.

"I BETTER see you in the morning," Jimmy said rudely, and I aimed a kick at his shins as I walked past him to follow Oliver out the door. "Ow! Kidding, Ella! Be careful and have fun." He moved to tousle my hair and I ducked and shot him a grin before shutting the door behind me.

"Finally," I muttered, and followed Oliver down the stairs. "I thought we'd never escape. Sorry about that, Jimmy gets protective of me …" I trailed off, lost in my thoughts, but snapped back to attention as we reached the first floor and Oliver held the door open for me with a smile.

"Don't worry about it," he said easily, and crossed the glittering sidewalk to open the door of a fancy-looking silver car for me. "I can handle Jimmy. I just don't want him putting ideas that I'm a bad guy in your head and blowing it before you get the chance to know me."

I slipped into the front seat and reached over to unlock the door for him, settling back to fasten my seatbelt. "Oh, Perez Hilton already told me you're a bad guy," I said nonchalantly. "Jimmy's just a corroborating source." I winked at him and he laughed. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Oliver replied teasingly, and flipped on the heat and the radio in one swift motion. I smiled to myself as Matt Nathanson drifted out of the speakers. We drove out of the city and as I watched in bewilderment, pulled into a small airfield that I didn't even know existed.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

"Oh my god…are you going to fly me to Russia and sell me into white slavery?" I demanded as we climbed out of the car. Oliver laughed and offered me his arm, which I took, trying to hide the goofy grin on my face.

"It crossed my mind, but then I started thinking about how ugly Metropolis can be during the day, especially in winter, and especially compared to Star City. I thought we'd take a helicopter tour at night. Lots of stars, lots of lights, and maybe you'll give it another chance." I stared at him. "Uh oh. Is it too much? Weird stalker behavior again?"

I shook my head. "I'm probably jumping the gun since we're still within the first half hour, but this may possibly be the best first date I've ever been on." Oliver smiled broadly at me and led me over to a helicopter, pulling the door open for me.

"Ms. Harrow." He motioned for me to climb in and I did with some trepidation, biting my lip and stooping to avoid hitting my head on the roof. "Are you nervous?"

"I've never been in a helicopter before so you better help buckle me in," I admitted. "Knowing my luck we'd get caught in a gale force wind and I'd go flying out because I forgot to loop something somewhere. Oh, and I get nervous flying. Kind of. Mostly just taking off and landing. Control-freak tendencies, you know." I knew I was rambling apprehensively and closed my mouth abruptly; Oliver chuckled and climbed in after me, settling onto the edge of his seat and reaching for my seatbelt. He gently looped it around me and snapped a couple of snaps, and I realized I was holding my breath again. He caught my eye and we both grinned at each other goofily; my skin tingled where he touched me as he fastened all the correct loops together.

"Done," he said softly, his face close to mine as he clicked one last button. I bit my lip again, fighting the urge to lean forward and kiss him. To my part-relief, part-disappointment, he pulled back after a moment and buckled himself in. The pilot climbed in and started the motor; I was surprised at how quiet it was inside the cabin itself. We started to hover and I fought back a squeal; I put my hand out to Oliver.

"Holding it might help with the heart palpitations," I said easily, and Oliver took my hand in his with a grin. We steadily rose higher and higher in the sky and I did squeal a little, unable to contain it. Oliver laughed and squeezed my hand, reaching for something with the other.

"I figured we might get thirsty," he remarked, and pulled out a bottle of red wine. "Is red ok?"

"It's all I drink," I replied. "White wine is for drunk sorority bitches and housewives." Oliver laughed louder this time and dropped my hand to open the bottle and pour two glasses. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," he replied, smiling at me. "Now, to your left, the Daily Planet." I peered past him to see the enormous rotating globe that was affixed to the top of the building. He continued with his guided tour, pointing out important buildings, as well as the river that wrapped around Metropolis. "So, has your opinion changed?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah, but I think it has more to do with the company than the city itself." We both smiled and as the helicopter began to sink towards the ground, Oliver took my hand again.

"Just to be safe, don't want any cardiac problems on my watch. Jimmy will murder me."

"On that note, you are correct," I said, shaking my head. "I'm surprised he didn't institute a curfew or send along a chaperone."

Once landed, Oliver took my hand again as we climbed out of the helicopter and didn't let go; to my surprise, it felt natural to walk hand-in-hand with him. Well, natural and frogs-in-the-stomach-feeling. We climbed back into his car. "Are you hungry?" he asked, cranking the heat again. "We could grab dinner."

"That would be lovely," I replied, grinning. He was still holding my hand across the center console. "What did you have in mind?"

"Um, we could go to …Hapuri…Peabody Gardens…"

I laughed and cut him off. "Oliver, one thing you'll have to get used to if you want to hang out with me is that I don't really care about fancy things. Except for shoes and purses and clothes, actually," I added thoughtfully. "I eat microwave popcorn on a regular basis."

Oliver laughed, but he seemed surprised. "So you'd rather go to say…Burrito Palace than Peabody Gardens?"

"Um, yes!" I answered, nodding emphatically. "A huge burrito and a Dos Equis with some 80's music in the background is my idea of an excellent evening."

"You are definitely not like any of the girls I've dated," Oliver said, gazing at me thoughtfully.

"I'll take that as a compliment," I said with a grin. We both snickered and Oliver put the car in drive, heading back towards downtown Metropolis.

We ended up stopping at a Chinese restaurant in downtown, and I could tell Oliver was happily surprised when I ordered orange chicken and a glass of cheap red wine. He followed suit, ordering General Tso's chicken and upgrading my glass to a bottle for us to share. "You do know that General Tso is my number two favorite, so be prepared to fork some over," I teased warningly.

"It just so happens I'm partial to orange chicken as well, so we'll share," Oliver replied, his eyes sparkling with laughter. "This is an amazing night, if I may say so."

"You may," I said amiably, taking a sip of water. "And I'd agree with you." Oliver reached for my hand across the table and I happily let him take it.

After dinner, we wandered out into the street. "What now?" I asked curiously as we made our way slowly down the sidewalk towards the car.

Oliver paused. "Well, this is embarrassing…but I didn't have anything else planned. I thought you'd be ready to go home by now…that's usually how my dates go if I don't spend at least five hundred bucks on dinner. Either that or they're begging to go to a club." I laughed and shook my head.

"It sounds like you've dated some hot messes, Queen. But if you're tired, you can drop me off at Jimmy's and I'll let you get your sleep." I felt a pang of disappointment as I uttered the words, but kept my voice light. I didn't want the night to be over.

"I'm not tired at all, and I don't want to drop you off at Jimmy's," Oliver replied quickly. "What can we do?"

I dropped his hand. "You planned the first part, I'll take care of the second part. Why don't you get the car going so I can thaw out and I'll meet you in ten minutes." Oliver agreed and headed off towards the car, and I ducked into the convenience store that we had been standing next to. Within ten minutes, I had grabbed a bottle of red wine, a box of microwave popcorn, a few bags of candy, and two Blockbuster movies.

I slid into Oliver's car with my bags of stuff and he grinned at me. "Whatcha got there?"

"Well, I hope you like scary movies," I replied, snapping my seat belt and unwinding my scarf. The car was toasty warm.

"Love them; favorite genre," he replied, starting the engine and signaling before sliding out into traffic.

"Me too! So, we've got Paranormal Activity 2, The Devil, and an assortment of evil saturated fats that I'll have to run off tomorrow. Plus, more wine." Oliver started to pull out his wallet and I stopped him. "Um, what do you think you're doing?"

"Giving you some money for buying all that stuff?" he replied, and I snorted.

"Oliver. I like chivalry. I like boys who open doors and things like that. But I don't expect you to pay for everything- I work, too." He grinned at me but protested.

"But this is a date! I'm supposed to pay for you!"

"Yes, it is a date. But you're not supposed to do anything except charm me with your winning smile, Mr. Queen, which you've been doing a good job of," I replied tartly, and slipped my hand into his. "Besides, it's wine and Charleston Chews when you paid for a helicopter tour of Metropolis." He squeezed my hand, and we chatted amiably all the way back to his apartment.

We were both relatively quiet in the elevator, and Oliver immediately stuck the popcorn in the microwave when we got into his apartment. "You're going to have to put the DVD in," I called helplessly from the living room. "I'm literally retarded when it comes to fancy-schmancy technology like this." I heard Oliver laughing in the kitchen and a few minutes later, he appeared with the candy, two glasses and the bottle of wine, and a bowl of hot popcorn. After carefully setting up the DVD, he flopped onto the couch next to me.

We started with Paranormal Activity 2, which was probably a poor decision on my part. A half hour into the movie I was shrieking and clutching Oliver's hand like my life depended on it. Every time I jumped, he laughed. "I thought you said you liked scary movies," he said teasingly, drawing circles on my hand with his thumb.

"Oh, I love them," I replied, pulling my knees up to me. "I'm just a total and complete wimp. If I had to go home to an empty apartment I would probably try and sleep in Starbucks." Just then, a particularly scary moment in the movie blared out of the surround sound system and I shrieked again, almost jumping off of the couch. Oliver burst into laughter and took advantage of the situation, pulling me closer to him. I felt like I was on fire; being this close to him made me almost dizzy.

After the movie had ended and the credits were rolling, I stretched. "What time is it?"

"Almost two," Oliver replied, checking his watch. "Do you need to get back?"

"All I have to do tomorrow is drink coffee," I said. "I'm just worried that I'm keeping you up if you have things to do in the morning."

"It's nothing that's more important than hanging out with you right now," Oliver replied with a grin, and I smiled. He slid the next movie in and returned to his position next to me on the couch; I tentatively sidled closer to him, leaning my head on his shoulder.

When I woke up, it was light out. Oliver was asleep sitting up, snoring lightly, and I was practically lying on top of him. I shot up blearily, grabbing for my phone, which was nowhere to be found. "Oh, shit," I hissed, realizing that it was indeed morning and Jimmy was going to give me hell when I got back to his place.

"Huh?" Oliver said sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "Oh shit, it's morning. Jimmy's going to kill you." I nodded, crashing my head into my hands. "Do you want me to take you home? It's only 7:00, he probably hasn't left for work yet."

"Hell no!" I exclaimed. "Do you think I want to face that doom before I have coffee? You can drop me at Starbucks and I'll wait until he leaves for work." Oliver sniggered and stood, pulling me to a standing position as well.

"Don't waste money on Starbucks, I'll make you coffee." We padded into the kitchen together and Oliver proceeded to not only make me coffee with a beautiful French press, but also egg white omelets with spinach and mushrooms.

"These are delicious," I exclaimed, sipping my coffee. "Thank you so much, Oliver. Best first date in history."

He grinned at me. "I'm almost afraid to ask you on a second date; I don't know if it'll measure up."

I glared at him. "You better…or face the wrath of Chloe." We both laughed and shortly after, headed for Jimmy's place. Oliver stopped at the curb outside the building and I turned to him. "Thanks, Oliver. Thank you so much; I had so much fun." My heart was beating faster and I suddenly was terrified and completely dying to kiss him.

"I did, too," he replied. "Can I call you later?"

I nodded. "I'd love that." Just as I spoke, my phone vibrated. "Hang on." I picked it up and shuddered- it was a text from Jimmy.

**Where the hell are you? IT'S MORNING**.

I grinned in spite of myself and texted him back.

**Fell asleep at Oliver's. Sitting outside your apartment right now. **

**You at work?**

A split second later, my phone vibrated again.

**Yes. I'll deal with you later**.

I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing and handed Oliver the phone. He started laughing as well. "Sorry you have to face that," he said, shaking his head. "I didn't mean for us to fall asleep."

"It was worth it," I replied with a mischievous grin. I bit my lip and then chickened out, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Talk to you later." I slipped out of the car and shut the door behind me, waving to him before darting into the relative warmth of the building.


	6. Chapter 6

I spent the next two days floating idly around the apartment, drinking coffee, going for runs, and working on my portfolio. Jimmy and I had gone out to dinner both nights, stuffing our faces with pizza and oddly enough, Ethiopian food. The second night we had a marathon Scrabble game with Chloe, and the two of us were nearly tied, with Jimmy in a dismally low-scored last place. I talked to Oliver through text regularly, and he IMed me randomly during the day.

He called me at around 2:00 on Friday; he was on his way to a meeting. "I ran into Clark," he said off-handedly. "He said Jimmy and Chloe were planning a night out since it's Friday. I hope you're planning to go…"

I grinned, nervously tapping my fingers on the arm of the couch where I was perched. "I'll be there."

"Good," Oliver replied. "I already can't wait to see you again." I smiled like a gleeful idiot and was glad he couldn't see me through the phone.

"Same here. I'll call you after I talk to Jimmy." We hung up and I shrieked girlishly, hurling myself stupidly onto my futon in a fit of happiness. After finishing up my portfolio, I decided to use my extra energy for a run, and charged through the streets of Metropolis with my iPod blasting girly-pop songs. As I crossed back into the downtown area, it was starting to get dark. I let myself into Jimmy's apartment, still sweaty and breathing hard as I chugged a glass of water. I dove into the shower and pulled on my bathrobe, walking out into the living room to grab clothes.

"So, where were you the other morning?" Jimmy asked from the couch. There were no lights on in the apartment and the only reason I could see him was because of the glow from the TV, which was on low volume. I screamed and jumped about ten feet in the air, clutching my chest.

"Jesus CHRIST, Jimmy! You scared the shit out of me. Come on, I watched Paranormal Activity 2 with Oliver!"

Jimmy was momentarily distracted. "Oooh, good movie, totally scared me too. Anyway, where were you that morning? Did you sleep at Queen's? I forgot to ask you."

I plopped into the overstuffed plaid armchair opposite him. I knew he had forgotten, and I had avoided the subject like the plague. "Yes, I told you, I fell asleep at his place. Nothing happened, Jimmy. Even if he really is a sleazy player, I'm not some floozy…I don't give it up that easily." Jimmy blushed and I laughed. "We drank wine and ate popcorn and watched movies and I just passed out."

"Ok," he said slowly. "I guess I believe you. Just keep your guard up." I laughed again and tousled his hair roughly as I went over to my closet.

"OK, Jimmy. Where are we going tonight?" I asked, pawing through my clothes. "Give me a general idea so I know what to wear. Where's Chloe, by the way?"

"She's at her dorm," Jimmy replied, cracking open a beer and putting his sneakered feet up on the coffee table. "She and Lois are getting ready there. They've like, planned the whole night. I guess they're going back to Smallville for the weekend tomorrow morning. I think I'm going, too…want to join us?"

I mimed throwing up as I pulled a black bandage skirt off a hanger. "No, thank you," I replied. "Two hours in that place was more than enough for me."

"Well, I feel bad leaving you all by yourself," Jimmy protested. "You just got here and I'm ditching you for the whole weekend."

I picked out a bright green sweater that was relatively low cut, and a lacey black camisole. "Jimmy, look, I can see that you're crazy about Chloe." He blushed again and nodded, staring at the TV. "Go to Smallville. I can work on some new article angles, run, and relax. Maybe I'll even clean your place for you," I said playfully, pulling a pair of black tights out of a cardboard box on the floor of the closet.

"Are you sure?" Jimmy asked, chewing on his lip. He had the guilty look of someone who had snuck the last piece of pizza.

I nodded. "Do you realize how much my life has changed in the past 48 hours? I can lie in bed and read a book without worrying that someone's going to charge in and try to kill me. If I spend the entire weekend watching TV on the couch it'll still be the best weekend I've had in a while."

Jimmy grinned at me and nodded, sinking back into the couch. "I guess it helps that a billionaire playboy is chasing you," he added with smirk. "He stopped into the Planet today for an advertising meeting and I heard him tell Chloe that he really likes you. I was eavesdropping so I know he didn't just say it to impress me." He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I snorted laughter and blushed, retreating to the bathroom to get dressed. While combing the snaggles out of my hair, I got a text from Chloe.

**I have news. BTW, what do you think about Queen? ;) **

I texted her back before starting to apply black eye shadow, attempting to mimic the smoky-eye-look-thing I had seen in last month's Vogue. I grinned at myself; it made my light brown eyes look enormous. Kind of like Bambi.

This is me girlishly shrieking. **Details later, I promise. Where are we going tonight? Wardrobe choices. **

My phone beeped again as I was applying eyeliner.

**Dress hot. Wear a skirt. Oliver's going- Clark invited him. **

I smirked at my phone and resolutely pulled on my tights, skirt, and sweater, making a kissy face at the mirror before spraying on perfume and wandering back out into the kitchen. I snagged one of Jimmy's beers and sat down next to him on the couch, pulling on high-heeled black boots. "Is that what you're wearing?" I asked as I texted Oliver.

**Chloe said Clark talked to you…I'll see you wherever we're going?**

"Yeah," Jimmy answered, his eyes still glued to the screen. I made a face.

"Jimmy, put a nicer sweater on and maybe some big-boy shoes. You look like you're off to your first day at kindergarten." Jimmy rolled his eyes and pinched my arm, but pulled himself off the couch and ambled into the bedroom. My phone beeped.

**We're starting at The Forum…see you soon! **

I grinned stupidly and jumped as a loud knock pounded on Jimmy's front door. Pulling it open revealed Chloe and Lois standing on the step, dressed up and chattering excitedly to each other. Lois was wearing a pretty silver dress that hugged all of her curves, and Chloe was wearing a short purple skirt with a black silk top and a gorgeous black wool coat. "You both look hot," I commented, ushering them in and passing off beers.

"You look hot, too," Lois commented. "Now tell me what happened with Queen!"

The three of us dropped onto the couch in the living room. I could hear Jimmy whistling in the bathroom; probably piling more gel into his hair. "Well, he took me for a helicopter ride, and then dinner… then we went back to his place to watch movies and I fell asleep. Nothing happened, we didn't even kiss." I grinned like an idiot at the thought of kissing him and Chloe giggled.

"Where did you go to dinner?" Lois asked, tilting her head at me, and I was a little put off by her persistent questions and hesitated before answering.

"We just grabbed cheap Chinese food," I replied, shrugging. She wrinkled her nose, making a disgusted face. I felt myself bristling, offended at her trivializing attitude.

"Gross," she remarked. Chloe elbowed her, rolling her eyes, but she continued. "When I dated Ollie we always went to fancy restaurants…I didn't know he even ate at places that weren't four-star."

My stomach lurched at the knowledge that Lois had dated Oliver, but I forced out an answer. "Yeah, well, I'm not really into all that." Lois shrugged, but I could tell she was once more being dismissive.

"Whatever floats your boat."

Chloe glanced down at the floor, pretending to be engrossed with the buckle on her peep-toe heel, but I could tell she felt uncomfortable.

I rolled my eyes impatiently in a short burst of anger and stood, pulling my skirt down. "Excuse me, I need to fix my makeup." I slammed into the bathroom where Jimmy was putting on aftershave, and he looked up at me in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me Lois dated Oliver?"

"I don't know," Jimmy said bewilderedly, capping his aftershave and setting it carefully back in the medicine cabinet. "It didn't seem like it mattered. They weren't together that long and it didn't work out." I shook my head, still plagued by an uncomfortable feeling that made me feel like squirming. "Why?"

"It makes me feel weird because she is obviously very much into him still," I hissed, trying to be quiet. "She's all 007, asking me a million questions about my date last night."

"Ignore her," Jimmy whispered back. "She's usually a nice girl, but she can be a total bitch when she wants to be. Don't let her get to you." I nodded at him and stood from where I had perched on the closed toilet seat. Jimmy led the way out of the bathroom, shouting.

"Who's ready to party? We've still got some tequila left from the other night- round of pre-gaming shots?" He yanked the freezer open and pulled the bottle out, grabbing four shot glasses out of the dish rack with his other hand.

"Definitely," I said vehemently, determined to wipe the thought of Lois kissing Oliver out of my mind. We poured and took a few shots and finished our beers, laughing and talking loudly. A bit later, I gathered my coat and sparkly black clutch and we all filed out the door and down the dim, narrow stairs. Lois hailed a cab from the sidewalk and the girls clambered into the back, with Jimmy in the front seat, talking easily to the driver.

The Forum was a nice bar; it had dark paneled wooden walls and dim lighting, as well as colorful mismatched booths and overstuffed chairs. It kind of reminded me of a high-end garage sale; random knick-knacks adorned the walls and small end tables were scattered amongst the chairs. It was filled with relatively normal trendy people as opposed to the stuffy, Wall-Street-esque crowd you'd expect to see in downtown Metropolis. Ke$ha pounded out of the speakers, and Lois started to dance. "I love this song!" She pushed through the crowd, leading us to the back of the bar where Clark was seated at a pub table, talking to a hugely muscular blonde guy in a tight orange shirt.

"Ella, hi! This is AC," he said, motioning to the blonde pile of muscles. I shook his hand and smiled, but my eyes were distractedly scanning the bar for Oliver. Lois immediately waved a waitress over and I ordered a beer, giggling with Chloe as Jimmy ordered his customary Corona.

"Something funny?" someone murmured in a low voice behind me, and I turned to see Oliver grinning at me. I impulsively threw my arms around him and gave him a quick hug.

"I'm so happy to see you," I said in his ear. He pulled me in closer and held me in the hug for a moment longer.

"I'm happier to see you," he replied. "You look beautiful." I pulled back and gave him an exaggerated up-down glance, at which he laughed.

"You look rather handsome yourself, Sir Queen," I replied. He did; he was wearing black pants and a simple grey button down with the sleeves rolled up but still looked amazing. He dropped a kiss onto my cheek, extremely close to the corner of my mouth, and I blushed as my heart began to pound. "You want a beer?" He nodded, waving to Jimmy and Chloe, and I signaled politely to the waitress to bring me two instead.

"Ollie!" Someone cried loudly, and suddenly Lois was in front of us, looking like liquid sex in her clingy silver dress. She practically jumped on him, hugging him tightly, and I glanced at Chloe questioningly. She made a face and sidled closer to me.

"She's been drinking all day, I think," she whispered in my ear, shooting Lois a fake smile and wave which Lois missed, because she was still wrapped around Oliver, whispering something in his ear. I felt a pang of annoyance and jealousy. "It's a long story. Try to ignore her and we'll talk later." I nodded and grabbed my two beers off of the waitress' tray, bobbing my head to the Cobra Starship that was now blasting out of the large speakers that were carefully arranged around the bar.

Oliver had politely disentangled himself from Lois at this point and made his way over to me. I smiled and handed him a beer, but I felt strangely jealous and kept my face blank. He slid an arm around my shoulders as he leaned in to talk to me. "I'm sorry about that," he said, shaking his head. His mouth was set in a firm line.

"Yeah, you and Lois, huh?" I asked him, tapping my foot nonchalantly to the song and taking a swig of my beer. "Not what I would have expected."

He shook his head again, sipping from his own beer. "We weren't together too long…we just didn't work out. It was a mutual decision to break up but we were both upset. It just seems like I've worked everything out and moved on, and I thought she had too, but I may be wrong." I bit my lip, turning back to face the group. Lois was now hanging off of Clark and, whose face looked like a weird mixture of uncomfortable and thrilled as she shouted over the music into his ear. AC was talking to Chloe and Jimmy and making wild gestures with his hands. "Hey. Pretty girl from Star City."

I turned back to Oliver, tilting my face up so I could see his. "Yes?"

"Lois and I are totally done, ok? Nothing you need to worry about. I've moved on, trust me." He grinned at me and I felt myself grinning back impulsively. "How about a shot?"

From the Forum, we moved on to several other bars, everyone getting increasingly drunk as we trudged through the cold. I had a pleasant buzz, and it was only heightened by the way Oliver constantly kept his arm around my shoulders or held my hand. When we stopped at a bar that vaguely reminded me of CBGB in Manhattan, Jimmy stood on a barstool and called us to attention. "LAST STOP, ladies and gents, it's after midnight. If you want to get trashed, better do it here." He drunkenly climbed down, almost falling and breaking his neck, and Chloe put her arms around him and nuzzled his neck. I laughed giddily and ordered shots for the whole group from the bartender, carrying them over to our cluster of tables on a tray. I passed them out as everyone shouted and laughed, and Oliver placed a hand on the small of my back.

"This is to you guys; thank you for making me so welcome," I called over the loud music and din of voices. "I'm really happy to be here."

"Oh, I bet you are!" Lois shouted, and I shot her a tight smile as we all clinked our glasses. She smirked back at me but I ignored her and winked at Oliver before downing my shot, and he handed me another beer.

"We're a block from my house," he announced to the group. "Post-party?" Everyone yelled their approval almost simultaneously and I sipped my beer more slowly, not wanting to get too drunk and fall all over myself.

"That's so nice of you, to offer your place for the after party," I remarked to him a bit later as we leaned against the wall in the back of the bar, making fun of passerby and sniggering at each other's comments. Chloe and Jimmy were making out in a nearby booth, and Lois and AC were dancing while Clark watched, grinning widely from his barstool.

"Hey, it saves everyone cab fare," Oliver said lightly. "They'll all have a few more drinks and crash there, and no one runs the risk of trouble on the way home." He took a sip of his beer. "Plus, truthfully, it gets lonely living by myself sometimes."

I moved so that I was standing and facing him, inches from his face. "Aww, does the famous business tycoon get lonely? Can't you hire someone to come and hang out with you?" I teased, and he laughed.

"Maybe I should start paying you; you're good company," he said playfully, reaching out to twirl a lock of my hair. I wrinkled my nose and grinned at him before Chloe came up and dragged me onto the dance floor, where we happily danced to the new Wiz Khalifa song. Before we knew it, it was last call, and the boys were leading us out of the bar. Oliver's place was literally a few steps away and we ducked gratefully into the warmth of his building. Once upstairs, we all made a fresh round of drinks and gathered in the living room.

"Let's play a drinking game," Lois slurred, kicking off her high heels and dropping heavily onto the couch. "Spin the bottle."

"Let's not," Jimmy replied, glancing at me and winking. "It's 2:30 – Jerry Springer's on!" We all settled onto couches and chairs and turned to the TV, and spent the next hour or so making rude comments and laughing until one by one, everyone nodded off. Chloe was lying on top of Jimmy on one of the couches; Lois had passed out on the floor with a pillow and blanket that Chloe had tossed over her. Clark and AC were sprawled on two huge chairs. I was leaning against Oliver on the floor, my eyes shut, but I opened them when he shifted.

"I was going to go to bed," he said softly. "You can sleep with me if you want; I don't want to make you uncomfortable so if you want to stay out here, that's fine, too." I sleepily offered him my hands in a silent demand to pull me to my feet and followed him into his bedroom, yanking off my sweater and kicking off my boots. I slid in between the silky covers in his enormous bed, shivering a bit. He climbed in a moment later and slipped his arms around me, and within minutes, we were both out.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

When I woke up the next morning, Oliver was gone. I felt a brief moment of panic but relaxed when I saw the note next to me on the pillow.

_Ella,_

_I ran out to get bagels and more coffee. This group's going to need some serious fuel to make it back to Smallville. Back in a bit._

_Ollie_

I grinned and jumped out of the bed, gulping down a glass of water that he had left for me on the bedside table. I padded barefoot into the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth, popped two extra-strength Tylenol, and fixed my makeup with the emergency supplies I had crammed into my purse. Peeking my head out into the living room, I saw that everyone was still passed out. I climbed back into Oliver's bed and pulled the sheets up to my chin, taking in my surroundings.

The room was light and airy with enormous picture windows that overlooked the city. The furnishings were mostly modern; silver and black like the living room, but the sheets and curtains were an emerald green not unlike my sweater. There were several pictures on Oliver's nightstand and I rolled over to take a closer look. They were all of an older couple that I assumed to be his parents; I wrinkled my nose at how cute he was as a child. Flopping back onto the pillows, I noticed that they were the fluffiest pillows I had ever slept on and I closed my eyes in satisfaction.

"You awake?" Oliver asked quietly a bit later, and I felt his weight settle down next to me on the bed. "I made you coffee."

"You are a god," I proclaimed, opening my eyes and sitting up immediately. "Seriously. Thank you." I accepted the steaming cup and wrapped my cold hands around it, smiling at him. "Is it still freezing outside?"

Oliver nodded, but grinned mischievously. "It's pretty cold, but I happen to have some very warm jackets. And I happen to love drinking my coffee out on the porch in the morning."

"Mr. Queen, I do declare you read my mind." I set my coffee down on the nightstand as he help up a fluffy black down jacket for me to slip my arms into, and then grabbed my mug before following him out of a private entrance from his bedroom to the porch. The sun was brightly creeping into the morning sky, but gray clouds loomed on the horizon, threatening to overtake it. The wind whipped smartly and I knew my cheeks and nose had to be bright pink. I leaned against the balcony, staring out over the city. "Last night was so much fun," I said contentedly.

"It definitely was," Oliver agreed, coming to stand beside me. His arm rested against mine on the railing and I felt the familiar tingles coursing up and down my skin.

"And this coffee is outstanding. Must have been another prep school class you took," I said cheekily, and he laughed but then put a hand on the side of my face, staring at me.

"I know I said this before, but you're so different than any other girls I've dated," he remarked, tilting his head at me thoughtfully. "You're funny and smart and gorgeous and so completely un-obsessed with material things."

I blushed but tried to cover it up. "I don't know, I'd probably beat someone down for a Louis Vuitton shoulder tote," I said off-handedly, causing him to laugh again. "See? I'm a LITTLE bit materialistic." He seemed like he was about to respond, but didn't. Instead, he took a deep breath and leaned in. My heart was pounding as I tilted my face up to his. Our lips met and he slid his arm around my back, pulling me closer to him. I immediately wrapped mine around his neck, feeling like I was as light as air as we kissed in the early morning sunshine. The wind whipped through my hair, sending it streaming everywhere, but I barely noticed.

"WOOHOO!" I heard someone scream, and there was a pounding on the window. We quickly broke apart and I looked over to see Jimmy waving and fist-pumping as Chloe pulled him away from the glass, giggling uncontrollably. I looked at Oliver sheepishly and we both dissolved into laughter, which led to more kissing. Finally, we pulled apart and he led me inside for a replacement cup of coffee, since mine had gone ice cold.

"Ollie, thank you so much for breakfast," Chloe said from where she was perched on the kitchen counter, nibbling a bagel and drinking coffee. Jimmy was leaning on his elbows next to her, holding his head in his hands as he stared at a bagel. "Clark and AC said to tell you they'd talk to you later, they both had to take off. Clark wanted to get back to Smallville early enough to see his mom before she left for D.C."

"Where's Lois?" I asked, refilling my coffee cup and dumping in the sweetener Oliver had thoughtfully provided.

"Still passed out, I think," Chloe replied, giving me an even look. "_We'll talk later,"_ she mouthed at me, and I nodded.

"I'm going to grab my phone, be right back." I walked towards Oliver's bedroom and as I stepped in the doorway, my mouth dropped open. Lois was lying on Oliver's bed, perched in a position I supposed she thought seductive (but really just emphasized how drunk she still was). In her underwear. I stood motionless in the doorway with my mouth hanging open unattractively.

"Ella, could you find it?" Oliver asked, coming up behind me. "I set it on the nightstand for you last-" he stopped talking, almost slamming into the back of me. "Lois, what the hell are you doing?" he demanded angrily, and I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Jimmy and Chloe appeared seconds later and Chloe's face was appalled. Lois abruptly sat up and pulled the comforter over her, pouting.

"I miss you, Ollie," she said in a little girl voice, and I felt my face involuntarily pulling into an ugly expression. Oliver sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Will you guys give us a minute?" he asked, his eyes searching the ceiling, as if for patience. I turned on my heel and quickly walked back down the hallway, not even catching his eye. I was beyond uncomfortable at this point and wanted to get back to Jimmy's peaceful, cozy apartment.

"Ella, wait," Chloe said, running up behind me and grabbing my arm. "Come here and talk to me for a second." She pulled me into a large office that I hadn't noticed; it was lined from floor to ceiling with overflowing bookshelves and my eyes involuntarily began to scan titles. It was a beautiful office, bedecked in heavy traditional furniture that was the complete opposite of the rest of the apartment. Chloe was sliding the heavy doors shut as Jimmy slid in. She rolled her eyes but let him stay as she began to talk in a hushed voice, her face earnest. "Listen. Lois is not over Oliver, I can tell you that right now."

I gave a short, dry laugh. "I kind of figured that out."

Chloe continued, starting to pace, but maintaining her hushed tone. "They had a bad break-up; both of them got pretty hurt. Lois just hasn't gotten over it. Ollie has and he's crazy about you, Ella, he told me. Don't let her ruin things."

"I'm trying not to," I whispered back. "It just really weirded me out, seeing her act like she did last night and then finding her in Oliver's bed in her underwear…" Jimmy made a disgusted noise from his position in a leather armchair by the ornate desk in the center of the room.

Chloe groaned quietly. "I know; she's still drunk, but I don't know what got into her. I'm going to have a serious talk with her once we get to Smallville." I nodded at her and there was a knock on the office doors before they slid open.

"Am I interrupting?" Oliver asked rather hesitantly, his eyes searching my face. I shook my head.

"Not at all. Can we finish breakfast? Fully clothed?" I grinned at him and a wave of relief washed over his face. I took his hand and led him into the kitchen, sticking my other hand in the bagel bag and fishing around. "Oh. My. God. Salt bagels? ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

Jimmy chuckled. "I forgot you can barely find them in Star City," he said, sliding onto the counter next to Chloe. He pointed at Oliver. "You may have just sealed the deal. She's weirdly obsessed with salt bagels." We all laughed and I excitedly stuck one in the toaster. However, an awkward silence descended on the room as Lois entered, now clothed in the silver dress she had been wearing the night before.

"I'm going to head back to your dorm, Chlo," she said, avoiding everyone's eyes. "See you there." She slipped out before anyone could say anything and I chewed my bottom lip, keeping my eyes trained on the toaster.

"Well, that was awkward," Jimmy said plainly, and we all started laughing again. Oliver passed by me to grab creamer and poked me in the side. I smiled to myself and continued to wait for the toaster to brown my bagel. "Alright Ella, you sure you don't want to go to Smallville?"

I snorted. "No way. Thanks, but no thanks."

"We're going to head out in a bit here – I just have to grab my bag from the apartment. You have your key with you?" I nodded, my mouth full of bagel. "Gross, why are you eating that plain?"

"You don't need anything on a toasted salt bagel," I retorted when I had swallowed. "Just salt. Salt is delicious." It actually was kind of gross when you thought about it, but I loved salt.

"You're disgusting and we're not related in that aspect," Jimmy said, making a face. "I'll be back early Monday morning, but I'll talk to you before then, ok? Be careful, be safe, call me if ANYTHING happens or you get scared." He gave me a meaningful look and I nodded seriously. He slid off the counter and I hugged him hard, grateful for his protective nature. I hugged Chloe as well.

"Text me later," she said, squeezing me. "And I'll see you Monday morning." They went over to the elevator hand-in-hand and were grinning as they slid the doors shut.

"Why would you get scared?" Oliver asked curiously, blowing on his coffee.

"Meh. Long story, can I tell you later? If I don't take a shower soon I think the paint will probably start peeling off your walls- I smell like an empty vodka bottle."

Oliver laughed. "What are you doing today?"

I shrugged. "I want to run this morning, but after that probably just…nothing." I grinned. "Reading and watching stupid, irrelevant TV and screwing around on the internet. It sounds like heaven, doesn't it?"

Oliver nodded, sipping his coffee. "Well, I have a proposition for you."

"Do tell, sir," I said, slipping off of the counter where I had been perched while eating my bagel and stepping closer to him.

"I don't know how adamant you are about sleeping at Jimmy's…especially since you watched Paranormal Activity…but if you wanted to go home, go for a run, take a shower, and do whatever else you needed to do, it would be really nice if you wanted to hang out again today." I hesitated and his face fell slightly. "Unless that's too much too soon. I just thought maybe you wouldn't want to stay by yourself at Jimmy's especially since you don't know anyone in Metropolis yet except the Smallville-ites."

I pursed my lips. "Well…the only thing is…" I paused and his face was priceless; he actually looked nervous. "I don't really know how you feel about sweatpants." He laughed loudly and with relief and I smiled at him.

"You can wear whatever you want," he said happily. "Do you want me to get you a car to take back to Jimmy's?"

I shook my head. "I'll burn off the bagel dodging icicles and trying to avoid frostbite. I'll see you in a bit, then."

Oliver nodded. "I have to run a few errands really quickly but call me when you're ready for me to come over," he said, pulling me to him. I felt my pulse quicken as he kissed me and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly. When we broke apart, I was breathless and I blushed.

"See ya," I said, trying to seem nonchalant, but I tripped over my own foot and Oliver chuckled. I let myself into the elevator and snuck one last peek at him before closing the doors; he was digging through the bagel bag with a concentrated expression, but smiling.

When I got back to Jimmy's, neither he or Chloe were to be found. I changed into my running clothes and charged out onto the street, leaping over a stray garbage can and soon settling into a rhythm that matched the music on my playlist. I ran for over an hour, my energy seemingly boundless although I should have had a massive hangover. When I got back to Jimmy's, it was early afternoon. I showered, threw on cute yoga pants and a tank top covered by a cardigan, and switched on my laptop before texting Oliver.

**Done and done. Are you finished with your errands? **

I settled into Jimmy's couch and tucked my legs under me, waiting for his reply, which came quickly.

**I most certainly am. I'll be there soon, I kind of miss you already.**

I grinned stupidly and was about to toss my phone back onto the coffee table when it beeped again. I looked at the screen, expecting it to be Oliver, but felt a lurch in my stomach when I read the message.

**Should have changed your phone number, little girl. I'll find you.**

I suddenly felt cold and trembly; I ran to the bathroom and retched into the toilet. It was Trent. I had no idea how he had gotten my phone number but I was suddenly paralyzed by an overwhelming fear that he would, in fact, find me. Shakily making my way into the kitchen, I chugged a bottle of water and then returned to the bathroom to brush my teeth and fix my makeup. Suddenly, the solitary quiet of Jimmy's apartment seemed more foreboding and terrifying than peaceful. I grabbed my phone and was about to text Jimmy, but then stopped myself. I knew he would go ballistic and drive back to Metropolis like a madman, so I set my phone down and tried to breathe.

When Oliver buzzed the door, I jumped up to let him in. "Hey," he said warmly, smiling at me. "I got groceries, movies, wine, coffee…" he trailed off as he noticed my face, which I was trying to arrange into more composed lines (but failing miserably at). "What's wrong?"

I shook my head, clearing my throat before I spoke. "Nothing. What movies did you get? I'm armed with sweatpants!" My stupid voice betrayed me, though; it came out shaky and high-pitched. Oliver dropped the bags of groceries on the counter and quickly came over, putting a hand on my cheek as he studied my face.

"Ella, you're as white as a ghost and shaking. Your skin is like ice. What's wrong? Did something happen?" I tried to shake my head again but a solitary tear slipped out of my eye and I knew it was hopeless. I would have to tell him eventually anyway.

"Let's sit down," I said resignedly, leading him over to the couch. I dropped down onto it disconsolately and Oliver sat down next to me, angling his body so he was facing me. "I don't know how much Jimmy has told you about my family."

He shook his head. "Nothing. I didn't even know you existed until we met at the Talon."

"My family situation is kind of…messed up. My dad died when I was really little. My mom was an addict. She could never hold down a job, was always strung out or high, moved me around a lot. Jimmy's mom tried to nail her through social services and bring me back to Metropolis, but my mom chased her down the hallway with a crowbar and she was too scared to come back. After that we just moved around even more so we'd be harder to pin down. It wasn't too bad; my mom was mostly gone so I basically lived alone." I glanced at Oliver, who was listening with an intense look on his face. "Then my mom started dating this guy Trent." I sucked in a deep breath. "He was a junkie too, and all they did was get high. It started out with him just knocking her around, but then he extended his opinions to me, usually with his fist. When I was seventeen, my mom just… took off. She took all of the money I had saved up and split. I was about to go off to college anyway, so I really didn't care, but what I didn't realize was that when she left, she took money from Trent, too. Like, A LOT of money. When I graduated, I moved out of the dorms and into an apartment near my job and that's when he started harassing me. It was weird, you know? It had been almost five years and I really thought that part of my life was over. But he showed up at my door, demanding that I either tell him where my mom was or give him the money she stole from him."

"What happened?" Oliver asked quietly. He was holding my hand at this point, playing with my fingers and avoiding my gaze. "Jimmy made it sound like he hurt you."

I nodded, taking a second to pull myself together. I still felt panicky whenever I remembered that day; often times I had to fight anxiety attacks when I thought about it. "He showed up at my place high out of his MIND one night. He…" I stopped and swallowed before continuing. "He was screaming at the top of his lungs and he just…freaking…attacked me. I didn't even have time to defend myself. He's a huge guy. He's literally like twice the size of me. He was about to throw me down the stairs but my neighbor who's like, Arnold-big too, heard what was going on and came over. He threw Trent out and I called Jimmy the next day to see if I could come to stay with him."

"What happened to you?" Oliver asked carefully, as if he were trying to maintain calm.

"Black eye, which is almost gone and I've been covering with some excellent makeup…concussion… five bruised and two cracked ribs." I motioned to my side with a grimace. "It still kills when I cough or laugh too hard. Anyway, here I am. Jimmy said I can't go back to Star City until Trent's name is in the obituary." I swallowed hard again. "So are you completely weirded out and over it now?"

Oliver suddenly pulled me to him. "Of course not. Jesus, that's horrible, Ella. I had no idea." He hugged me tightly and I gratefully sank into his embrace. I had been afraid once I told him about my screwed up past he would decide I was more trouble than I was worth. "But what happened today?"

"Oh," I said, pulling back from him and reaching for my phone. "This. He sent me a text; I don't even know how he got my number." I showed him the message and his face settled into hard lines of anger. "What if he finds me, Oliver?"

"He won't," Oliver said firmly, his jaw working. "And if he does, he'll never get to you. I'll see to it." I nodded, lost in anxious thoughts. We sat quietly like that on the couch for a while before Oliver suddenly sat up. "Oops. I left ice cream sitting on the counter. You like peanut butter?"

"Hell yes," I said, swiping my face with my sweater. "Thanks. Saturated fats make everything better."

Oliver dropped a kiss on the top of my head and laughed. "No problem." He led me into the kitchen, where I helped him put away the rest of the groceries.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Oliver made us popcorn and we migrated back to the couch. The weather outside had taken a nasty turn; it was solid grey and sleeting, the wind whipping the flags that topped the building next to Jimmy's. Oliver put on a movie and sat down next to me, sliding his arm around me once more.

"Where are your parents?" I asked as the beginning credits rolled and I stuffed a handful of popcorn into my mouth. "I saw those pictures on your nightstand…you were a really cute kid."

"Were?" Oliver retorted indignantly, and I giggled. 

"Are. A cute man. I mean, a handsome man. I retract and edit my initial statement." Oliver shifted on the couch next to me and I glanced up at him; he had dropped his eyes to his lap and his face had gone a bit sad. "What's wrong?"

"My parents are dead. They died in a plane crash when I was at boarding school." I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth in shock.

"God, I'm so sorry," I said, sliding my hand into his. "That's awful." Oliver nodded and took a deep breath.

"It was horrible. But it's easier now. Especially when you have lots of people around who care." I nodded and silently, he pulled me against him. "You know, they have a mansion in Star City. I could just never bring myself to live there. It's so…empty without them there."

"I can imagine," I said quietly, twisting my fingers tighter through his. "Do you think you'll sell it?"

"I don't know." He chewed on his lip in a manner similar to the way that I did when I was nervous. "I don't want to, but it seems like such a waste to let it just sit there."

"Well, maybe you could go check it out again with a fresh perspective," I offered. "Maybe you could take the things you want for your memories and turn it into a home for a marginalized group. Or something like that, you know? Let it be useful to others."

Oliver turned and stared at me. "That's something my mother would have said," he said.

I shrugged. "I just think it would be a nice thing to do. You could help a lot of people." I turned my attention back to the screen, but I could feel Oliver's gaze on me for a bit longer.

When the movie was over, I stretched and yawned lazily. "Holy hell, it is so gross out," I remarked. The weather hadn't changed since earlier; it was still miserable and freezing outside of the windows. "I'm glad we're nice and warm inside."

"Me too," Oliver replied, and I swung my legs over his knees as I turned to face him.

"So, are you going to let me cook dinner for you?" I asked, grinning at him. "I can whip up a mean spaghetti." Oliver smiled.

"You don't have to cook for me, you know," he said. "We can order in or I can cook for you."

"Hey, chivalry isn't dead…or…I guess reverse chivalry? You went out and bought a bunch of groceries and won't let me give you money, so the least I can do is cook for you. Unless Jimmy scared you with tales of me cooking chicken on a hot plate when I was in college." Oliver sniggered.

"That would be awesome." I leapt up and skipped into the kitchen, pulling out an assortment of pots and pans and leaning into the fridge to search for ingredients. Oliver wandered over a bit later, obviously bored with SportsCenter, and uncorked a bottle of wine. "This is really nice, you know. I get so tired of being home by myself."

"I hear you," I replied, busily cooking ground beef in a large frying pan. "When I lived by myself after college I would make up excuses not to go home. Starbucks should have been giving me stock options, I spent so much money there." I took the glass that he offered. "Thanks."

"It's true," he said. "Living alone can be really nice because you don't have to put up with other people's mess, but sometimes it just sucks."

"I had a roommate in college my senior year who I absolutely wanted to murder," I said, stirring the beef. "She was the biggest slob EVER. She would leave food and dirty dishes all over the place. The last straw was when I went in the bathroom to put on makeup, and I was like 'what the hell is that smell?'. She had left a carton of Chinese food on the counter and it had MAGGOTS in it." Oliver groaned in disgust and I nodded, grinning. "It was all over after that."

"What did you do?" he asked, pulling himself onto the counter. He looked so cute in jeans and a t-shirt and bare feet.

"I got one of those big green garbage bags and threw out EVERYTHING. They I cut the wire to her minifridge. I frayed it, kind of, so it would look like it just wore out. She didn't want to buy another one so she just started eating at the dining hall." We both laughed and I flipped the burner a little higher. "That's my disgusting roommate story. You have to have some good ones up your sleeve, prep school boy."

Oliver shook his head. "Surprisingly, no. The biggest bane of my existence at school was Lex Luthor, but that was partly my own fault. I was kind of a bully for a while after my parents died."

"Yeah, what's with this Lex Luthor thing? I had to listen to Jimmy bitch for like forty minutes the other night about how much he hates him and how Lex is the epitome of evil." Oliver chuckled and shrugged.

"We've always had a sort of unspoken competition and we've never liked each other…it's a long story. I think Lex has got his hands in a lot of unethical and probably illegal pots and it infuriates me." He slipped off the counter and came towards me. "But I don't want to talk about Lex Luthor."

"No?" I asked innocently as he slid his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. "What did you want to talk about then? World peace? Spaghetti sauce? Ricky Martin?"

Oliver laughed softly. "Nothing." He pressed his mouth against mine and my legs instantly went weak, but in the good way. It wasn't until much later that I noticed the spaghetti was glued to the bottom of the pot, the meat was burnt to a disgusting black color, and the sauce smelled funny as smoke spiraled out of it. The smoke detector started wailing and I jerked away from him.

"SHIT!" I yelled. Oliver and I had gotten rather carried away; I was sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter and he was standing between my legs. "The food is a little bit…done."

"Let's just order pizza," he said sweetly. "It's my fault for distracting you." Together we cleared up the kitchen and he ordered a pizza. "But while we're waiting for it…" I grinned stupidly as he pulled me against him.

The sound of the doorbell pulled us back to reality later on. Oliver broke the kiss and we were both breathless as he fumbled for his wallet. He paid the pizza delivery guy and I happily noticed that he tipped him generously. He handed me the pizza box, but I tossed it on the counter and wrapped my arms around his neck again. We awkwardly shuffled over to my futon and dropped down onto it, laughing between kisses.

We ended up spending most of the evening on the futon, alternating between telling stories, making out, and watching stupid TV shows. I admitted to being obsessed with Jersey Shore and when Oliver admitted he had never seen it, I yelped and quickly changed the channel to MTV – sure enough, re-runs were on. We ate pizza in bed and snuggled until I glanced at the clock and was startled to see that it was almost midnight.

"Do you want to sleep here?" I asked tentatively, playing with a button on his shirt. His chest rumbled against my ear as he answered.

"Definitely."

I sat up and smiled evilly at him. "Holy shiz, I have a story. 'Billionaire playboy spends night in low income one-bedroom on futon with purple sheets'. I'll replace Chloe at the Planet! She'll hate me but-" Oliver was laughing but cut me off by yanking me down to him and kissing me firmly, and I smiled through the kiss. "Kidding," I murmured, pressing my lips to his again. "Totally. Somewhat. What was I saying?"

We fell asleep in the middle of another Jersey Shore re-run; when I woke up, it was early the next morning and the sun was streaming through the window. I was curled up next to Oliver; he had pulled the sheets and comforter over us and had his arm wrapped tightly around me even in sleep.

"Oliver," I whispered, lightly poking him. He grunted but didn't open his eyes. "Oliver, wake up. It's the first time I've seen the sun in like a week." He opened his eyes then and smiled sleepily at me. "Let's go do something, anything. Either that or I have to go buy a UV light box so I don't get seasonal depression." He laughed out loud and we both climbed off the futon, yawning. I went into the bathroom and changed into jeans and a cute sweater, and Oliver pulled a clean sweater out of his messenger bag. "You're rather prepared," I remarked, leaning against the counter and pulling boots on.

"I was hoping you'd ask me to stay," he replied, flashing me a grin. He pulled on his leather jacket and we left the apartment hand-in-hand. "What did you have in mind, Ms. Harrow?"

"Hmm," I said, skipping alongside of him. "Coffee, definitely. Walk in the park, if it's not too cold. Greasy brunch with possible alcohol involved, for sure." Oliver squeezed my hand.

"Perfect Sunday, in my book." We wandered around for a while and stopped at a Starbucks, grabbing enormous coffees and heading for the park that was situated in the dead center of Metropolis. Oliver picked a dry bench and pulled me into his lap, where I was content to stay, people-watching and talking until we had finished our coffees. I tilted my face up to the sun, closing my eyes and basking in its rays – it made me miss Star City.

"You love the sun, huh," Oliver remarked, pushing a stray lock of hair off of my face. I nodded, my eyes still closed. "You look so pretty right now."

"Thanks, Queen," I replied. I opened my eyes and kissed him on the tip of his nose, and he smiled.

"Brunch time?" he asked hopefully. "It's almost noon and I'm starving."

"Hell yes," I said. "Where can we go get some greasy food and breakfast appropriate alcohol?"

"I know the perfect place." He pulled me onto the sidewalk near the edge of the park and hailed a cab; we jumped in and were roaring through traffic in seconds. We stopped outside of a small café that looked rather dingy, but I decided to look inside before I made any judgments. "OK, here's the deal. It looks like a total dump but they have biscuits and gravy, pancakes, and mimosas. Good?"

"What's wrong with you?" I demanded playfully. "There has to be something. For real? This place is PERFECT." We grabbed a table outside in the sun and were soon sipping mimosas and had resumed our people-watching and subsequent funny comments.

"I brought Lois here once," Oliver said off-handedly as the waitress dropped off two more drinks.

I snorted. "Did she make it in the door before pitching a fit?" To my surprise, Oliver laughed loudly.

"Actually, no," he said, his shoulders shaking. "We had to leave and go somewhere else." I rolled my eyes and took another sip of mimosa.

"Sounds pretty accurate," I remarked, and then we were silenced by the arrival of our food. I stared at my stack of pancakes in awe before digging in. "Holy hell."

"I'm so full," I said a bit later, pushing the plate away. I hadn't even been able to finish my food even with Oliver helping me.

"Too full to continue our Sunday brunch?" Oliver asked. "I was thinking we could get some more wine and adjourn to the park for the afternoon." I nodded happily and grabbed the check off the table to his protestations, and we walked hand-in-hand down to the liquor store to get more champagne and orange juice, as well as a blanket to lie on.

We had a few more mimosas each in the park, basking in the oddly mild weather and kissing on the blanket. A few people snapped photos but Oliver ignored them as if he were used to it, even though it seemed weird to me. Leaning on his chest, I gazed up into the blue sky.

"I'm nervous to start work this week," I admitted, idly counting clouds. Oliver shifted and began to play with a piece of my glossy hair, ticking my nose with it.

"Don't be," he said. "Chloe showed me your blog and I'm a newly acquired fan; your writing is outstanding. You'll move your way up into the newsroom in no time."

I wrinkled my nose, twisting my head to smile at him. "Thanks." We lapsed back into silence for a moment before I spoke again. "I am so lucky," I said suddenly, taking in the bright blue sky, puffy white clouds, and sunshine. "I came here as a way out of a horrible situation and look at how it's turned out."

Oliver tightened his arms around me, kissing the top of my head. "I'm lucky too," he admitted. "Before you came here I was stuck in a rut. I got alcohol poisoning more than a few times and I just felt…empty. Like I had nothing to look forward to. The past five days I've woken up excited because I knew I'd get to be around you."

A while later, clouds began to roll in and I sighed, flipping over onto my stomach. "I guess that's our cue to leave," I said glumly, dropping my chin into my hand.

"Don't sound so disappointed," Oliver said, sitting up and stretching. "Do you want to have dinner with me?"

"Of course," I replied, not even hesitating to think about it. "Let me run home and shower, because I have a feeling I resemble Medusa after a night of bar-hopping. I'll meet you at your place?"

Oliver nodded and stood, pulling me to my feet. "And Ella…I know you hate fancy stuff, but I want to take you somewhere nice. Is that cool?"

I laughed. "I promise I won't embarrass you and eat with my hands or burp in front of the other patrons," I said, grinning wickedly at him. "I'll even put my napkin in my lap instead of wiping my mouth on my sleeve, and I'll wear a dress."

"I won't hold my breath," Oliver sniggered, and shook his head. I gave him a kiss on the jaw before grabbing my purse and skipping off towards Jimmy's place, all at once having forgotten that the sun had disappeared.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

An hour and a half later, I was nervously riding the elevator up to Oliver's apartment. I was wearing an emerald green dress with black tights and black peep-toe heels, and had curled my long dark hair down my back. I stepped off the elevator and was greeted with a low whistle.

"You look…beautiful," Oliver said, standing from where he was seated on the couch, fixing his cufflinks. "Wow, Ella…just …wow." I blushed to the roots of my hair and smiled.

"So you do." He did; he was wearing a plain black suit and lavender tie and my heart began to beat a bit faster at the sight of his face. I approached him slowly; he was staring at me like he had never seen anything like me before and I grinned – it was a good feeling. I slid my arms up and wove my fingers through his short caramel colored hair, breathing in his cologne and tracing circles on his scalp with my fingers. I felt his hands wrap themselves through my hair as well, and when our lips met I literally felt like my bones were melting. He sighed into the kiss and I shut my eyes; somehow, we ended up back in his room. Only a dim bedside lamp was on, casting the room in a warm, orangey glow. I gently pushed him back on the bed, still kissing him, and he pulled me up on top of him.

I usually made it a rule not to sleep with a guy until it had been two weeks so I didn't seem like a big whore but with Oliver I couldn't stop myself. Things progressed, clothes were shed, and he stopped as he was unzipping my dress from behind. "Are you sure?" he murmured, his lips warm against my skin. I shivered and nodded, turning so that I was facing him and pressing my lips to his.

A while later, we were both lying tangled up in the sheets. Oliver's hand was moving lazily up and down my back as he tickled my spine with his fingers. "So much for dinner," I remarked, glancing at my dress, which was lying in a crumpled heap at the foot of the bed. Oliver chuckled.

"I'd say it was definitely worth missing our reservation."

"I don't usually do this, you know," I said sternly, propping myself up on one elbow. Oliver arched an eyebrow at me and I pushed him. "Seriously, I usually have a two week waiting rule." He laughed, shaking his head, and I continued. "If you hold out two weeks, you lessen the risk of being branded a slut-bag-whore."

Oliver was laughing too hard at this point to talk and had to wait until he stopped before he could reply. "A two-week waiting period? Kind of like when you buy a gun, huh? Well, I don't think you're a – how did you put it? Slut-bag-whore? I think you're gorgeous and smart and exactly the type of girl I want to date."

"Ooooh," I said, climbing on top of him and bouncing a little bit. "Are you my BOYFRIEND now?" I was completely joking, but Oliver waited for me to shut up before replying.

"Is that a problem?" he arched his eyebrow at me again and he looked so gorgeous it was all I could do to keep from kissing him. I restrained myself and cleared my throat.

"I was joking…but no! No, it's not a problem. No, boyfriend is a good thing. So that makes me your…"

"Sex slave?" Oliver suggested, and I pummeled him. He fended me off easily, laughing, and dropped me back onto the bed next to him. "It makes you my girlfriend, unless you don't want titles. Which I've always thought is weird- I say call it what it is- but if it bothers you-"

I put my hand over his mouth. "Girlfriend and boyfriend. And you even did it officially instead of just sneaking around it until someone flat out asked you what we were, embarrassing both of us in public. Well done, Queen." I nodded firmly at him, dropping back into the pillows.

"Well, girlfriend, how about we order in some dinner?" he suggested. He sat up and climbed out of bed and I tried not to stare but ended up doing it anyway. "See anything you like?" he teased me and I laughed but nodded. 

"You could say that. Mr. Two-Week-Rule-Breaker." I could hear his laughter echoing down the hallway.

A couple of hours later, my phone began to ring shrilly. I sighed, sitting up from where I was sprawled on the couch, my head in Oliver's lap, and reached for it. "Hi, Jimmy." I clicked it on speakerphone and sat back on the couch, dropping my head back onto the pillow and idly twirling a lock of my hair.

"Where are you?" was the first thing out of his mouth and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm actually picking up a crack rock down the street, and bringing some male prostitutes back to your apartment to smoke it out of a grapefruit," I replied casually, and I could feel Oliver laughing without even looking at him.

"Cool," Jimmy said, not even fazed by my sarcasm. "You're ready to start at the Planet tomorrow, right?"

"Absolutely," I said. "I've got my portfolio printed and on a jump drive, my best work clothes laid out, and I might even go buy some Snack Packs to put in my Rainbow Brite lunchbox."

Again, Jimmy was so accustomed to my weird sense of humor that he barely noticed it. "Rainbow Brite…you're so OLD. Get chocolate, those are my favorite. See you in the morning." I giggled and hung up, contentedly turning my attention back to the movie and the fact that Oliver was absentmindedly playing with my hair.

I was nervous the next morning. Oliver woke me up at five with a mug of fresh coffee, which I gratefully gulped before heading back to Jimmy's. When he and Chloe walked in the door at around seven, I was already on my third cup, twitchily tapping my foot against the rung of the barstool I was perched on. "I'm so ready," I announced, hopping down and straightening my purple sweater. "So, so ready to go kick some ass at work."

Chloe arched an eyebrow at me. "How many cups of coffee is that, Ella?"

I snorted. "Only like three. I'm just excited to get started." She grinned and poured herself a cup as well, and we waited for Jimmy to finish primping in the bathroom before all three heading for the Planet.

When we arrived, I followed Jimmy and Chloe downstairs to the basement where I was introduced to my temporary boss, Edward Dunham. Apparently the Planet was in some sort of transition, and he was the head honcho…for now. He was also the lead editor and as I shook his hand, I mentally calculated how soon I could get a copy of my portfolio onto his desk. "It's very nice to meet you," I said politely.

He nodded. "You'll be starting as an errand girl and copywriter; I'm sure Miss Sullivan has explained to you how things work around here. Your desk is over

there- " he pointed to a dim corner of the basement where a dingy desk was tucked back and covered in mountains of paper, " and you can get started now. This is Annette." He motioned to a ridiculously skinny blonde who was bouncing on her heels next to me, her eyes enormous behind thick glasses. "She's above you and she'll be giving you your assignments and keeping an eye on you." He turned and was about to walk away, but then stopped. "And Harrow- if you're anything like your cousin's girlfriend, you'd better get a portfolio to me," he said gruffly.

I bit my lip and raised my eyebrows at Chloe, who grinned excitedly at me, before turning to Annette and shaking her hand. "Alright," she said in a tiny, squeaky voice that was very fitting of her physical appearance. "Let's get you settled into your desk." I waved at Jimmy and Chloe and followed her over to the corner, where we spent the majority of the morning cleaning around the desk and clearing stacks of paper away.

"You free for lunch?" Jimmy popped up around one, his camera slung around his neck. "There's an awesome sushi place down the street." I looked at Annette, who smiled.

"Go, go! You get an hour for lunch." She sat down at her desk and pulled out a peanut butter sandwich in a plastic bag and an apple, and began to nibble at it.

"Are you sure you don't want to come, too?" I asked her hesitantly, and she flushed pink, smiling.

"I've got my lunch here, but thank you," she said happily. I followed Jimmy out onto the street and pulled my phone out of my pocket as it vibrated against my hip. It was a text from Oliver.

I know you're busy on your first day, but I just wanted to say I hope it's going great and I'm thinking about you.

I grinned and tucked my phone back into my pocket, sticking my arm through Jimmy's and skipping happily next to him down the street.

After lunch, Annette handed me a few assignments, which I quickly completed and gave back to her, to her surprise. "This is excellent quality," she said in her wispy little voice, peering through her glasses at the piece of paper. "Very nice, Ms. Harrow."

At five o'clock, I was done for the day, and went to check on Chloe and Jimmy. Chloe was hunched over her laptop with an intense look on her face, and Jimmy was nowhere to be found. "I'm heading out," I said, tapping her on the shoulder, and she jumped. "Sorry." I giggled.

She smiled at me, the blue-ish light of her laptop lighting up her face in the dim basement. "No, sorry, I'm just following this lead…I think it's going to be huge. What are you doing tonight?"

I shrugged. "Just hanging out, not sure yet." I glanced out the window into the street. "I was going to run, but it's already dark and I don't fancy being beaten to a pulp for my iPod." Jimmy had warned me about the crime rate in Metropolis.

Chloe nodded. "Well, I have class tonight so I'll see you tomorrow morning… tell Ollie I said hi." She wiggled her eyebrows at me and I blushed furiously.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

When I got back to Jimmy's, the apartment was empty. I tried calling Oliver but he didn't answer; after a long shower, I changed into yoga pants and poured myself a glass of wine before settling down with the remote control. I texted Oliver a while later, wondering where he was as I idly flipped channels before settling on ABC Family, my pathetic TV weakness.

Work was great. I was thinking about you, too. How was your day?

Three hours later, I was ready for bed and still hadn't heard back from Oliver, to my annoyance. I had a brief moment of panic in which I wondered if I hadn't slept with him too soon, and was now being punished for my whore-of-Babylon ways, but pushed it out of my mind, brushed my teeth, and dropped into bed. Jimmy still wasn't home, but had texted me to say he was working on a story and not to wait up.

The next morning, my phone was devoid of any texts or calls from Oliver. I stuck my tongue out at it and threw it into my purse before hurrying out of the apartment. Jimmy had never come home the night before and I luckily remembered the way to the Planet without having to stop for directions. I grabbed a coffee from a street vendor and pushed open the heavy doors to the Planet, hopping in an elevator and riding down to the basement. I waved to Chloe and headed for Annette's desk, ready to get started.

A bit later, Chloe came by my desk with a second cup of coffee for me. I was engrossed in a rather snarled piece of copy, attempting to make computer parts sound interesting AND accessible, and glanced up only when I realized she was standing in front of me, impatiently tapping her foot. "Oh, hi! Sorry. How are you? How was class?"

Chloe perched on the edge of my desk, steam swirling out of the cup in her hand. "It was fine, I barely stayed awake, but it was fine. What did you do last night?"

I pulled a face. "Nothing. Drank half a bottle of wine and watched The Secret Life of the American Teenager for three hours. Jimmy was out on a story." Chloe cocked her head at me, confused.

"You didn't see Oliver?"

"No," I said, rubbing my forehead and glaring at the copy in front of me that was covered in scribbles and ink spots. "I called him and texted him when I got home but haven't heard from him since around lunch yesterday."

Chloe ducked her head and I stared at her. "What? What are you thinking?" Before she could answer, someone shouted her name across the room and she hopped off of my desk, setting down the coffee for me.

"Sorry, we'll talk later!" She hurried off towards the guy who had called her name and I scowled, slipping my reading glasses back on and trying to concentrate.

Three days later, I was a bit of a mess. I hadn't heard from Oliver, despite the fact that I had texted and called him numerous times. I spent my evenings sipping wine or tea and watching television, unable to concentrate on a book. On Friday, Chloe stopped by my desk, attempting to be casual, but I could tell she was nervous. "Want to grab lunch today? Sushi?" she asked hopefully, and I nodded. I pushed my glasses further up on the bridge of my nose.

"Give me like a half hour so I can finish this," I answered, not taking my eyes off the paper. After I had finished revising it and handed to Annette (who smiled and said it was excellent writing), Chloe and I walked down to the sushi restaurant, idly chatting about the sunny weather and plans for the weekend.

When we were seated and had ordered, Chloe picked up her diet coke. "So, have you talked to Oliver?" she asked nonchalantly, taking a sip, but she was watching me over the rim of her glass.

I rolled my eyes irritably. "Nope. Guess he really was an asshole, just playing off that whole billionaire thing." I shrugged, but I was fighting a wave of hurt. I was incredibly disappointed that Oliver had blown me off.

"Maybe there's an explanation," Chloe said, her voice light. "Maybe you'll hear from him now that it's the weekend!" She looked guilty, and I narrowed my eyes at her.

"What do you know?" I demanded. "Come on, Ms.-I-have-my-thumb-on-the-pulse-of-everything, what are you not telling me?"

Chloe flushed brick red and averted her eyes to our server, who was dropping off our rolls. "Nothing! I just mean maybe he was busy with work all week and didn't have time to…" she trailed off.

"Send me a text message to let me know he's alive?" I snapped, and stuffed a piece of sashimi in my mouth. "Whatever," I mumbled, but I could feel angry tears starting in my eyes.

"Let's go out tonight," Chloe said hurriedly. "We'll go to that new craft beer place, the one that supposedly has like 400 different beers." I nodded and focused on eating and _not_ thinking about Oliver Queen.

Later that night, I decided that I would indeed go out with Chloe, Jimmy, and Clark. I had pulled on my tightest skinny jeans and a skin baring halter-top under a leather jacket, smoking my eyes out. I wasn't in a pleasant mood but knew sitting around the apartment wouldn't make things any better. I glared at my reflection as I applied neutral lipgloss, listening to angry chick rock on my iPod. However, I was lucky to have Jimmy and Chloe around – they were experts at cheering me up and by the time we got to the bar, I was smiling and able to push the thought of Oliver out of my mind, at least for the time being. The pour house was dimly lit and cozy, with an enormous wall full of taps. I picked up a menu and scanned it while we waited for Clark to arrive.

An hour or so later, we were hysterical as Clark told us about his ex-girlfriend Alicia and their impromptu trip to Vegas. When he started to explain their wedding, I choked, shot beer out of my nose, and almost fell off of my barstool, I was laughing so hard. Jimmy fell into a fit of laughter as well and pushed me upright again as silent tears of amusement slid down Chloe's face. "Holy shiz," I said with a hiccup. "Remind me to stay away from red Kryptonite." I pulled out a mirror to make sure the beer-nostrils-episode had hadn't messed up my makeup. As I slid it back into my clutch, I noticed that everyone at the table had gone silent. "What?"

I turned and Oliver was standing behind me, clad in a black leather jacket and jeans. He had what looked to be a half-healed cut on his cheekbone. "Hey," he said, rather sheepishly.

"Hey yourself, " I said evenly, and turned my back on him, busying myself with the beer menu again. I could feel my nerves crackling like they were on fire but forced myself not to look at him.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Jimmy, I need your help picking out another beer," Chloe suddenly said, sliding gracefully off of her barstool. "Like now." As I watched helplessly, she gave Clark a pointed look, and he cleared his throat and muttered something about the bathroom. I sighed and stared straight ahead, still refusing to look at Oliver.

"Ella," he said, sitting down in Clark's spot. "I'm sorry I haven't returned your texts or calls this week." I stared at him silently, biting my tongue to quell all the rude things I wanted to say at that moment. "Work has been so hectic…I haven't been around much."

"Common courtesy dictates that you at least let the girl that you took the time to sleep with know that you're alive," I said coolly, meeting his gaze dead-on. "Or does common courtesy not apply in the world of billionaires? Maybe Perez Hilton- and Jimmy, for that matter- weren't too far off."

His face fell at that. "Ella, I'm so sorry. I should have called you. And it'll never happen again. I just got so wrapped up in everything that I neglected to realize that I still have people that are important in my life." I gazed at him impassively, not replying. "I'm sorry, I really am. How can I make it up to you? How about another helicopter and Chinese food date?" He gave me a boyish grin and I pursed my lips at him.

"How about we work on returning phone calls and texts, and then you can worry about thousand-dollar dates?" I stuck out a hand and he shook it firmly, smiling happily. "Don't look so cheerful, muffin. I don't even know why I'm doing this- I usually write guys who pull this crap off like last season's tax deductions. Consider yourself lucky." Oliver immediately wiped the smirk off of his face but when he thought I wasn't looking, the corners of his mouth pulled up again.

He ordered a beer and dragged up another barstool to the table, settling himself next to me. Chloe and Jimmy re-appeared several minutes later, and Clark wandered back up, chatting to his mom on his cell phone. Oliver slid his hand over the top of mine under the table and I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him, but let him keep it there. "What happened to your face?" I asked him, studying the cut on his cheekbone. "That doesn't look like it was much fun."

"I got hit with a car door," he replied somewhat lamely, and I smirked.

"That's weird. It looks like you got punched." To my surprise, his face flamed and Chloe jumped into our conversation, leaning towards us to be heard over the noisy bar.

"What are your plans for Thanksgiving this year, Ollie?" I shot her a suspicious look. I had a feeling that Chloe had an inkling of an idea where Oliver had been the past four days, but wasn't telling me so she could protect some sort of secret for him. I decided to let it drop this time but stay on my guard, and turned my attention to Oliver.

"Nothing," he said, shrugging. "No family around to celebrate so I'll probably order Chinese and watch movies." I made a face. What a depressing way to spend the holiday. "What about you guys?"

"We're not doing anything," Jimmy replied. He slid an arm around Chloe and leaned back in his chair. "Ella, I mean to tell you- my mom and her new boy-toy are going to the Caribbean so we're on our own this year. And I think we should make dinner."

I raised my eyebrows, grinning. "You're on, creamed-corn king. Chloe, what are you doing?"

Chloe shrugged as well. "My dad and I don't really do holidays; I usually spend them with the Kents." Clark nodded at her, taking a pull off of his beer.

"That's true," he said. "But my mom has to be in D.C. this year. She's going nuts about the fact that she won't be around for the holiday and I'll be by myself."

"OK, it's settled," I announced, holding up my beer glass. "We're all having Thanksgiving together this year. It'll probably be composed of gin and cheese cubes, but at least we'll all be together."

"Let's have it at my house," Oliver offered, smiling at me. "I have that big dining room table that never gets used except for beer pong. I could even hire a chef-"

I put a finger up to his lips and stopped him. "Unh-uh. We're cooking. All of us together and it'll be lovely." Oliver laughed and I knew he was thinking about the spaghetti I had attempted to make for him. "And if you mention the spaghetti night you die."

"I heard you cooked chicken on a hot plate once," Chloe said, smirking, and I shot her a look but giggled in spite of myself.

"OK, one: I was drunk. Two: I was in college so I had been living off of marshmallow fluff sandwiches for two weeks and if I didn't get some protein in my system I was going to go on a dining hall rampage and start eating other students. Three: Shut up." Everyone laughed loudly. "Seriously, let's have a nice, grown-up Thanksgiving together. I'll wear a party dress. You know it's serious if I wear a party dress."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Oliver said, sliding his arm around the back of my chair. "You realize it's next Thursday, right?"

I waved him off. "Psh, that's plenty of time. What do you guys want? Turkey, obviously. I need stuffing or else I won't be a very happy girl."

"Corn casserole," Clark chimed in, and I smirked at him. "Yes, I'm from Smallville and I love corn." I snickered but patted his hand where it was resting on the table.

"Mashed potatoes and biscuits, and basically any other carbohydrate that I can smother in gravy," Jimmy added.

"I'll take care of dessert," Chloe said, clapping her hands. "Apple pie, pumpkin pie and ice cream ok?" Suddenly, her face fell. "Oh."

"What?" I asked, signaling to the waitress to bring Oliver and I another round. He squeezed my hand under the table and I felt the corners of my mouth pulling up. "What's wrong?"

"Well," Chloe began slowly, "Lois doesn't have anyone to spend Thanksgiving with, either. She used to go see her dad, but they've had a falling out…" I glanced at Oliver, who was gazing uncomfortably at the table, his expression less than thrilled.

"So invite her," I said lightly, biting my lip and hoping I wasn't making the world's most idiotic mistake. "It's fine. Tell her to bring a salad or an appetizer or something." Relief flooded Chloe's face.

"Are you sure, Ella? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"As long as she keeps her clothes on, it's fine by me," I replied, and everyone laughed again. Oliver squeezed my hand under the table again.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Later that night, we all drunkenly stumbled back to Oliver's through the slushy dark streets for a nightcap. I squealed as Jimmy went to hug Chloe and accidentally knocked me into an icy puddle, soaking my boots to the ankle.

"Now I'm going to get frostbite!" I yelled at him, shooting him a very rude gesture. Oliver laughed and picked me up, slinging me over his shoulder like a sack of oats. I giggled and let myself hang limply; one sushi roll was not holding my alcohol well and I was extremely buzzed. He deposited me onto the floor when we got into his apartment, pulling off my soaking wet suede boot and sock.

"Let's get you warm," he said, and disappeared into his bedroom, returning with a huge pair of grey wool socks. Pulling my other shoe off, he proceeded to put the socks on my feet while Chloe gathered another round of drinks from the kitchen. I smiled at him, wriggling my toes luxuriously inside of the extra warm socks.

"Thanks," I said, and he kissed my forehead before going to help Chloe. I suppose I eventually fell asleep on the couch, because when I woke up, I was sprawled on top of Oliver, my head resting on his chest as it rose and fell with his breathing. I sat up and winced; the sunlight streaming in the windows was torture. Stumbling into the bathroom, I gulped two Advil and a glass of water before brushing my hair and wiping away stray eyeliner. When I came back out into the living room, Oliver was awake as well.

"Morning," he said pleasantly, busily getting food out of the fridge. "Are you hungry?"

"What are you making?" I asked, jumping onto a barstool and taking the cup of coffee that he offered me. "Thank you, sir."

"Omelets," Oliver answered, already cracking eggs into the pan. "With spinach, onion, and mushrooms."

I sighed. "I knew I didn't write you off for a reason." He grinned at me and began to dice up mushrooms.

"So, should we start making a list for Thanksgiving?" he asked, dropping them in and shaking black pepper vigorously over the pan. "We should probably shop this weekend; the grocery stores are going to be a madhouse this week."

I nodded, sipping my coffee. "Let's see. We need a turkey, stuffing, and stuff for green bean casserole…Jimmy will make potatoes and biscuits, Clark's making corn casserole, Chloe's got dessert, and Lois has got appetizers…what else do we need?" I tapped my chin thoughtfully.

"Alcohol," Oliver said helpfully, sliding a plate with a steaming hot omelet on it in front of me. "I'll take care of the alcohol."

"Ollie," I began sweetly, batting my eyelashes at him. I picked up my fork and began to massacre my omelet, still talking. "I have a request."

He stared at me, bewildered. "I've never seen you do that before…you look like such a… such a… GIRL."

I stuck my tongue out at him, rolling my eyes. Obviously, my feminine wiles were a bit rusty. "Fine. I have a request for the alcohol, you idiot."

"Do tell," he said, hopping up onto the counter with his plate and beginning to pile his omelet into his mouth.

"Stuff for pumpkin pie martinis." He pulled a face but couldn't speak because his mouth was full, so I plowed on. "COME ON, Ollie, they're festive! And delicious! Pumpkin pie in a glass! Does it get much better than that?"

He set his plate down, grinning, and looked over at me. "Did you just call me Ollie?"

I stared back for a second, flustered. "Yeah, I guess I did. It slipped out. Why, is that reserved for Lois' use only?" I cocked an eyebrow at him and he laughed, shaking his head.

"I like it. My mom and dad used to call me that. Keep saying it." I slid off of my stool and skipped over to him with my coffee cup, planting a kiss on his chin.

"I think I can handle that," I said. "Now let's make this stupid list and go shopping – I'm entirely too hung over to do anything but spend my afternoon watching crappy movies and eating popcorn."

Before I knew it, Thanksgiving was upon us. I had to admit, I was nervous about cooking the huge turkey that Oliver and I had picked out the previous weekend. Work had been crazy that week and by the time Wednesday night rolled around, I was exhausted, even though I had only been there three days. Oliver had called me on my lunch and asked me to sleep at his house; true to his word, I had actually seen him every day since his disappearing act, and he was texting and calling me quite often. I slipped into Jimmy's empty apartment – he and Chloe were out doing their last minute shopping – and grabbed my overnight bag before heading over to Queen Tower.

"Ollie?" I called, stumbling out of the elevator with a yawn. "Are you here?"

"In here," he called from his office, and I dropped my bag on the floor, kicking off my tortuously high heels before limping towards the sound of his voice.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously, sticking my head in the door and peering at him. He was seated at his large mahogany desk, his arms behind his head. A fire crackled in the fireplace and the room was lit with a warm orange glow. He smiled when he saw me.

"I have a surprise for you," he said, motioning me over. He looked so excited that I almost laughed, and I approached him, coming around the desk so that I was standing next to him.

"It better not be a chef for tomorrow, I _told_ you I looked up how to cook a turkey, it's just a matter of being able to follow-" he cut me off, gently putting a hand over my mouth.

"Here." He handed me a long white envelope that I stared at, confused. "You should probably open it," he said, raising his eyebrows at me. I made a face at him, but followed his instructions, ripping open the envelope and studying the piece of paper with his handwriting on it that was tucked inside.

"Voucher for…Harbor City? For a long weekend? This weekend?" I said in disbelief, turning to face him. "Are you joking?"

His face fell. "Well, no. I mean, Chloe told me that was one of your favorite places, and I was such a shit last week that I wanted to make it up to you, so I figured we could go away together and I have the jet and everything…" he looked visibly uncomfortable and I mentally kicked myself.

"Oh my God, Oliver, thank you thank you thank you!" I felt a surge of happiness as I threw my arms around his neck. "I love Harbor City; it's one of my favorite places in the world. I think I've been there about a million times and I love it more every single time I go! Oh, my God!" When we broke apart, his smile was million-watt.

"Good. I'm glad you're happy. You know, I haven't been there since I was like, ten, so you'll have to be my tour guide."

"Consider it done," I said, gazing up at him. "You are so thoughtful. This is so extravagant – I feel guilty-" He cut me off for the second time that night.

"Don't," he said firmly. "I have the jet. I owe you a marvelous date after my utterly disgraceful behavior last week. Just promise me something…we can do some historical stuff while we're there. I'm a history buff."

"You mean nerd," I teased him. "I'm kidding. Seriously? Beer and history walking tours sounds like the ultimate weekend. I swear, Ollie, you are amazing." He smiled and to my surprise, blushed a bit. "Thank you so much. We're going to have such a fantastic weekend together."

"Yes, we are," he replied, kissing me soundly. "But first we have to get Thanksgiving cooked. How long do we have to thaw this bird out?"

I blushed the tiniest bit and guiltily pulled my Blackberry out of my pocket. "Erm… let me check." To his credit, Oliver laughed and led me into the kitchen, where he poured us two glasses of wine while I Googled instructions on how to cook a turkey.

"Um, ok, so we should start thawing it now," I said decidedly after a half glass of wine. "It gives you the ratio of hours to pounds, and this thing is ridiculously huge." Oliver nodded and opened his freezer, hoisting the turkey out. "We can just put it in a sink of hot water and leave it, right? What do you think?"

"Sure," Oliver said, smirking at me. "I think we'll be ordering pizza tomorrow night, but whatever you say, Martha Stewart."

"Keep it up," I said warningly, taking another sip of wine. "I bet you Martha Stewart sucks in bed." We both laughed and Oliver began to steam asparagus for dinner.

Thanks for all the reviews, guys! Keep 'em coming. I love reading them; it gives me motivation to keep writing and posting! 3


	13. Chapter 13

I was rudely awoken the next morning by my cell phone ringing shrilly on Oliver's nightstand. "Ugh," he groaned next to me, yanking his pillow over his ears to deafen the noise, and I blearily reached over him. It was Chloe.

"Hello," I said hoarsely, climbing out of bed and pulling on one of Oliver's sweatshirts that was lying on the floor. "What's up, Chlo?" I slipped out onto the chilly porch, sliding the door shut behind me.

"I have a small request," she said, and I noticed that her voice was rather sour. "Another guest tonight."

"I don't really care at this hour," I replied tiredly, squinting out over the still-dark city. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon and it was absolutely freezing; I padded back inside, rubbing my eyes. "That's fine, who is it?"

"Lana Lang," she said, her voice flat. "Clark wants to bring her."

I snickered. "Ah, the illusive Lana Lang. Will she be sweeping in with her shiny hair and perfect complexion to make the rest of us look like greasy cows?"

Chloe sighed. "I really wish she wasn't coming, but you know how Clark gets about her…it's like the rest of the world stops." I yawned. "Sorry, I know it's early. I'm heading into the Planet to work on a few things before I start baking."

"You're crazy," I replied. "I wouldn't set foot in that place today no matter how much you paid me- I fully intend to enjoy my long weekend."

Chloe gasped. "Oh, did Oliver talk to you about this weekend?"

"Yup," I said happily. "Long weekend in Harbor City; I get back late Sunday night. I am so excited, Chloe, thanks for giving him the hints. It's my absolute favorite city ever."

"I also was instructed to take his credit card and buy you some cold-weather clothes to go on the trip, since you ripped that hole in your coat last weekend," Chloe said, sniggering. I rolled my eyes; I was planning on buying a new coat but just hadn't gotten the time. "I got you some cute stuff. I'm bringing a bag over for you today. Ollie's really crazy about you, Ella, I can tell."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, blushing. "Listen, speaking of Ollie, I'm going to go back to bed. I'll call you when I wake up for real, ok?" I hung up and tiptoed back to bed, climbing in and squirming back into Oliver's arms.

When I woke up later, it was almost eight. "Shiiiiiiit. Ollie, wake up," I said, poking him. "It's almost eight, I have to get the stupid turkey cooking." He rolled over and continued to snore, and I smiled, smoothing his forehead before climbing out of bed. I brewed a pot of coffee and pulled on jeans, running down to the corner deli to get bagels before I attempted to tackle the turkey.

An hour later, it was safely in the oven and I had consumed three cups of coffee, so I began to work on the green bean casserole and stuffing. Oliver came in at around ten, blinking sleepily. "Ella, I was going to help," he said, his face falling. I handed him a cup of coffee.

"I got it," I said, grinning. "Be proud, I wrestled that thing into the oven all by my lonesome. Oh, and look, bagels!" Oliver pulled me into his arms.

"My little Betty Crocker," he murmured, hugging me tightly. "It's going to be a good day. Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Same to you," I replied, turning back to the potatoes. He took a sip of his coffee and made a surprised noise. 

"This is delicious!" I nodded, still stirring the potatoes. "It tastes like…like…pumpkin or something!"

"Pumpkin pie creamer," I said. "My idea of heaven, actually. Told you." I continued to chop onion for the green bean casserole and Oliver stretched his arms over his head, yawning.

"Are you ready?" he asked, plucking a bagel out of the paper bag on the counter. "Thanksgiving at 4:00, drinks, and then we leave first thing tomorrow morning for Harbor City."

I stopped chopping and turned to grin excitedly at him. "I am SO excited, I'm beyond excited," I replied. "Oh, but I have a bone to pick with you. What's this I hear about Chloe taking your credit card so she could pack me a bag for the trip?" I arched an eyebrow at him, putting a hand on my hip.

He shrugged. "You needed a new coat." I shook my head at him, still giving him the evil eye. "It's part of the trip?" he tried half-heartedly.

"I have a carving knife in my hand," I said warningly. Oliver laughed but cut himself off when I glared at him. "I don't want you spending lots of money on me, Oliver. It's not right."

"Look, Ella. This is my way of giving you a wonderful weekend. I have the money; I can't spend it all on myself, I give tons of it away to charities. Just let me treat you nicely, ok? I have no one else that I can treat that way." I stared at him, running his words over in my mind, and I knew he was referring to his lack of a family. I set down the knife and went over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Well, then, thank you," I said, although I still felt guilty. "And you have to let me make it up to you." He grinned evilly at me and after purposefully setting a timer, we retreated to the bedroom.

A while later, I was back in the kitchen, making stuffing and humming along to the John Mayer cd Oliver had tossed in the stereo. He was washing wine glasses and martini glasses at the sink, and every time I caught his eye, I couldn't help but smile.

My phone rang again, and almost simultaneously, so did his. I picked mine up, tucking it in between my ear and my shoulder. "Hey, Chlo. Sorry, I got held up with the green bean casserole…remind me to buy pre-chopped onions next time."

"No problem," she said, and I noted that she sounded a lot more cheerful than she had the first time I talked to her. "I'm still baking, but we'll be there at 4. Clark and Lana and Lois are meeting us here, so we'll all walk over together. Have a drink ready for me, PLEASE."

I giggled. "You got it. I'll have a pumpkin pie martini with extra vodka awaiting your arrival." We hung up and Oliver sauntered back into the room, sliding his phone into his pocket.

"That Chloe?" he asked, picking up a dishtowel and beginning to dry the martini glasses that were dripping on the counter.

I nodded. "Apparently we're going to be graced with the presence of Ms. Lana Lang this evening," I said in a lofty voice. "Which closet do you keep the red carpet in?"

Oliver sniggered. "Well, we'll have a few more guests than intended…AC is coming, and he's bringing our friend Bart. "

"We have enough food to feed a third world country," I said, motioning towards the oven, where the enormous turkey was slowly cooking. "I'm so happy we're doing this." I smiled at him and he winked at me. While he continued to set up the bar, I set the table with the beautiful china I had noticed sitting in a cabinet a few days before. When I had asked Oliver about it, he had shrugged. "It was my mom's," he had replied, and I let the issue drop, but was determined to get it out and use it for Thanksgiving. I wove dried autumn leaves throughout the place setting and made a centerpiece with candles, more leaves, and some pretty berries.

"This looks amazing," Oliver said, leaning against the kitchen counter and taking in the table. "See, you are Martha Stewart. You just don't suck in bed." I smirked at him and went past him into the kitchen.

"Geez, it's 3:00 already," I noted, glancing at the clock on the stove. "I'm going to get ready before they all get here. "

"I'm right behind you," Oliver replied, pulling olives and cherries out of the fridge. "Let me just finish this up and we'll be good to go."

After showering, I dried and curled my long hair and slipped into a burnt orange wrap dress and pretty chocolate brown velvet heels. I did my makeup quickly, chattering with Oliver while he showered, and then sprayed on perfume, screwed in pretty gold earrings, and went back out to make sure everything was ready for dinner. At 4:00 on the dot, I heard the elevator crank into life, and Oliver emerged from his bedroom. He was wearing black pants and a dark green shirt, and looked amazing.

"You look handsome," I remarked, dropping a kiss on his jaw as I began to light candles throughout the loft.

"And you look beautiful," he replied, running a finger over my cheekbone as he wandered over to the elevator to greet the first guests, who turned out to be Chloe, Jimmy, Lois, Clark, and the elusive Lana Lang. Hugs and high-fives were exchanged and I went over to help Chloe unload her baskets of food on the counter.


	14. Chapter 14

"Ella, this is Lana," Clark said from behind me, and I turned to face them. Lana was extremely pretty; her long dark hair hung straight down her back and was shinier than the china we were eating dinner off of. She was wearing a cream colored sweater and a black pencil skirt, her feet encased in new black Louboutins.

"Hi," I said kindly, extending my hand. "I'm Ella, I've heard so much about you. It's nice to finally meet you, I'm glad you could come tonight!"

Lana shook my hand firmly. "It's nice to meet you, too. How do you like Metropolis? Chloe tells me you're working at the Planet." Her voice was low and even; it made me feel like I was altogether uncouth. I bit my lip before replying.

"It's been pretty amazing thus far," I said, and glanced at Oliver, who grinned at me. "Definitely a good choice on my part. Now, can I get you a drink?"

"I know you can get me one," Jimmy yelled from the elevator, where he was picking up more bags of food and groceries. "Make it a double." I giggled and proceeded to pour him and Oliver whiskeys; Clark had water, and I made all of the girls martinis.

"I brought brie and bread, and a vegetable platter," Lois said helpfully, pulling them out of a shopping bag. "And I also brought salad."

"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed. Lois had yet to apologize to me face for the "incident" the morning that Oliver and I had first kissed, but I wasn't about to bring it up. Instead, I slid the hot Brie onto a plate and put it on the coffee table in the living room alongside the veggie platter. The seven of us settled down into the couches, chatting and drinking as we waited for AC and Bart.

"So, who's Bart?" I asked curiously, sitting down next to Oliver and crossing my legs. "I don't think I've ever heard anyone mention him."

"He's a…ah…friend. From out of town," Clark said awkwardly. I studied him for a moment; he seemed nervous, but I chalked it up to Lana's presence and changed the subject.

"Hmm. Anyone need a refill?" I made to stand, but Oliver beat me to the punch.

"I'll get them." He returned a few minutes later with a fresh round of drinks on a fancy silver serving tray and passed me a martini, his fingers purposefully brushing mine.

"So, Oliver," Clark said, putting his hand on Lana's knee as she accepted another drink from Oliver. "I hear you and Ella are off to Harbor City for the weekend?" I grinned at Oliver, who dropped down next to me on the couch and squeezed my hand.

"That we are, Clark. She's promised to be my beer-guzzling history-buff tour guide," Oliver replied cheerfully.

"What?" Jimmy said loudly, and Chloe elbowed him in the ribs. "You're going on vacation together already? Don't you think that's a bit soon?"

I groaned, flopping back into the couch cushions. "No, Jimmy, I don't. And I definitely don't think it's too soon to get you another drink so you can occupy your mouth some other way besides talking." Everyone laughed and Oliver winked at me; Jimmy still looked disgruntled but Chloe was whispering in his ear and I shot her a grateful look.

"HAPPY THANKSGIVING!" someone suddenly yelled, and the elevator doors clanged open. Oliver and Clark both stood and made their way over to greet AC, who was wearing a bright orange sweater and carrying a grocery bag full of food, and a smaller, wiry guy wearing a red hooded sweatshirt who was clutching a bottle of red wine. "Hell yeah, who's ready for some turkey?" he called, and strode over to pull Chloe into a hug over the back of the couch. "Licious, nice to see you." Chloe blushed and cleared her throat. "Lois, Jimmy, you too."

I stood and stuck out my hand. "Hi, I'm Ella," I said politely, and smiled. The guy in red came slowly towards me, staring openly. He had shaggy brown hair and pointed facial features, and actually rather cute despite the fact that he was years younger than me.

"Bart," he said smoothly, dropping a kiss onto my knuckles instead of shaking my hand. "It's VERY nice to make your acquaintance; you don't get the chance to meet beautiful girls every day." Oliver laughed.

"Back off, Bart," he said lightly, slinging an arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer to him in a clear indication that I was taken. I grinned and shrugged helplessly and Bart sighed.

"Figures…I need to start robbing banks. It's always the billionaire that gets the girls." All of us laughed, and Bart flopped onto the couch next to AC, accepting Oliver's offer of a beer.

I heard my phone go off in the kitchen; I quickly stood and made my way over to where I had left it on the counter. I picked it up as I reached for another loaf of bread to replenish the Brie platter and clicked on the new text message I had received.

Happy Thanksgiving. I'll be seeing you soon.

It was from Trent. I froze, a dull roar beginning to echo in my ears. I stared at the message, aware that my breathing was getting quicker and my heart was pounding. Tears began to sting the backs of my eyes and I dropped the phone, revulsion sweeping over me.

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked quietly, coming up behind me to pick up the phone and hand it to me, stopping when he caught sight of my face. "Ella? You're as white as a sheet."

I swallowed hard and handed him back the phone. His face hardened when he read the message and he cleared his throat, setting the phone on the counter with what seemed like an enormous amount of self-control.

"Excuse us for a second," he said congenially to everyone. Only Chloe looked up; everyone else was engrossed in a card game Bart was trying to teach them. Oliver grabbed me by the hand and led me down the hallway and into his bedroom, where he shut the door and pulled me into his arms. I was trying desperately not to cry and concentrated on breathing deeply, wrapping my arms around him tightly, but the fear was winding its dark, inky tendrils around my heart.

"Ollie," I began, my voice shaking. I caught my reflection in the mirror over his dresser; I was extremely pale and my green eyes looked enormous in my face.

"I won't let him touch you," Oliver replied firmly, his voice low. "He won't ever get near you again, Ella. I'm going to take care of this." I nodded, and he smoothed a few pieces of hair out of my face. "Please don't be scared, ok? We're going to get this handled."

"Ok," I replied in a small voice, but a tear slipped down the side of my nose. He caught it with a finger and swiped it away.

"You're safe here," he said quietly. "Don't think about him. It's Thanksgiving, all of our friends and the people who are important are here, and we're going to Harbor

City in the morning."

"Ok," I repeated, wiping my eyes surreptitiously. "You're right. Let's have a good night and be thankful. Like I'd be very thankful for another drink right now." Ollie laughed gently and waited for my while I fixed my eye makeup and drank a glass of cold water in the bathroom.

When we came out, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Jimmy standing in the kitchen, scrolling through my phone. He glanced up at me, his eyes blazing. "Trent messaged you," he said angrily. "Ella, why didn't you say anything? Has he been bothering you? Is this the first one?" Chloe stood next to him, pale and silent.

I dropped my eyes and blushed; I could never lie to Jimmy no matter how hard I tried. "He messaged me a few weeks ago," I admitted, and inwardly cringed as I anticipated Jimmy's explosion. Sure enough, he slammed my phone down on the counter and began to yell. Chloe put a hand on his arm but he shrugged her off; Clark stood from his position on the couch, his face cloudy.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jimmy shouted, furious. "What's wrong with you, Ella? Get it together!"

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react like this," I retorted hotly, suddenly angry. "Mind your business, Jimmy. Why the hell are you going through my phone?"

"You ARE my business!" he yelled back. Oliver swiftly stepped in between us, holding up his hands.

"Jimmy, calm down," he said evenly. Jimmy opened his mouth, about to reply, but Oliver held his hand up again. "Ella's upset enough as it is. This isn't the time to fight- it's the time to celebrate Thanksgiving, and we'll figure out how to solve this problem later. OK?"

Jimmy hesitated, his face still angry, but then nodded and ducked around Oliver to give me a quick hug. I hugged him back and stepped away, clearing my throat and smoothing my dress. "Turkey's done," I announced, and turned to the oven, desperate to dispel the tension in the room. Oliver helped me to lift the pan out and I began to carry dishes over to the table while he carved. Once everyone had a fresh drink in their hand, we all sat down at the enormous dining room table.

"Should we say grace, or something?" Lois asked, awkward as ever, and a low laugh rumbled around the table. Clark stood from his seat at the other end of the table, opposite Oliver, and we all held hands while he said a short grace.

After dinner, Chloe, Lois and I washed dishes while Lana helped dry and stack them. The boys retreated to the balcony to smoke cigars, and we gleefully made another round of martinis before settling onto the couches to gossip. "So, Ella, Harbor City, huh?" Chloe asked gleefully. "Oh by the way, your suitcase is in the office. Are you excited?"

"Beyond," I replied. "It's going to be an awesome weekend. Ollie is just so…so…" I paused, unsure of the word I was looking for. "Amazing. I know I've only known him for a few weeks but…" I trailed off and blushed.

"What?" Lana breathed, surprising me with her sudden enthusiasm. We all leaned closer and Lois slopped a bit of martini on her jeans.

"I feel like he's the best thing that's ever happened to me," I said quietly, as to not be overheard. "He makes me so happy." I felt guilty saying so in front of Lois and glanced at her out of the corner of my eye; to my surprise, she spoke.

"I owe you an apology," she said, her face turning pink. "What I did the other morning was unacceptable and there's really no excuse. So I'm sorry. And I'm glad you and Ollie are together. He deserves someone who's going to make him happy."

"It's alright," I replied kindly. "Let's just forget it happened and move on. Thanks for apologizing; that was really nice." Lois nodded and looked so awkward that I bit back my laughter; to quell it, I stood and stretched with the intention of checking my makeup in the bathroom. Oliver came up behind me, putting his arms around my waist and kissing my cheek.

"What are you ladies talking about?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"World peace, literacy, fine wines, things like that," I replied lightly, and Chloe and Lana giggled. "What are you gentleman discussing?"

"The same," Oliver replied in a lofty tone that matched my own, and Chloe, Lana and I giggled this time. "Are we going out tonight?"

"Yes," Lois said emphatically. "Matador's has great Thanksgiving drink specials, and some people from the Planet want to meet up there." Almost an hour later, the nine of us pulled on coats, chattering merrily after several shots, and made our way out into the cold to celebrate the rest of our Thanksgiving.


	15. Chapter 15

When I woke up the next morning, I felt fine. Oliver and I had gotten home by midnight, both chugged Gatorades, and had split a turkey sandwich before bed. I stretched; it was only 5:00, but I was wide-awake and rolled over on top of Oliver. "Wake up," I stage-whispered. "It's Harbor City day!"

He smiled, not opening his eyes. "That it is," he said sleepily. "How about another hour of sleep, and then we'll get up and get going?"

"You're crazy," I declared, bouncing out of bed. "I'm too excited to sleep!" I bounded into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee, perching on the counter to fix up my toe nail polish while I waited for it to brew. True to his word, Oliver came in an hour later, shirtless and stretching. I looked at him appreciatively before hopping down to make him a cup of coffee.

"Come here," he murmured, pulling me to him and giving me a deep kiss. "Mini-vacation, here we come." I giggled and we sipped our coffee while looking through a Harbor City book so Oliver could pinpoint the historical things he wanted to see.

After pulling on jeans and a warm sweater and fixing my hair and makeup, I wandered into Oliver's study to see what Chloe had put in my suitcase. I laid it flat on the floor and unzipped it, and then bit my lip. On top was the exact deep red leather Prada bag I had been eyeing in that month's Vogue; a few pairs of Seven jeans were folded neatly underneath it. Also packed in the suitcase were warm sweaters, a deep red wool scarf, a pair of black calf-skin gloves and a lovely black and white houndstooth print coat. I shook my head, pushing myself to my feet and almost running into Oliver when I turned swiftly. "Geez, Queen, stealth is good and all but come on! You're going to give me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," he said with a grin. "Everything look ok in there?" He gestured to the open suitcase, which was extremely costly looking as well.

I glared at him. "Everything looks EXPENSIVE in there. A Prada bag, Ollie, really? That's just so unnecessary. I can't possibly accept that from you."

"Oh, you can, and you will," Oliver said firmly. "We had this discussion. To be honest – and this may make me sound bad – but buying you a Prada purse is like spending ten bucks on a pizza. It's not a big deal to me, ok? I want you to enjoy it." His voice took on a pleading tone and I softened, reminding myself that he had no one else to spoil.

"I hate you," I said, wrapping my arms around his waist and snuggling up to him, hiding my face in his chest.

"I take it you like the purse," he said, smirking at me as he pulled away to kiss me. I nodded with a devious smile and he grinned back. "Good. Chloe said she saw you drooling over it in some magazine or other so I told her to just get it."

"It's all beautiful," I said, bending down to zip the suitcase shut and wheel it into the bedroom so I could add toiletries and makeup. "I just wish you wouldn't, Ollie, I can't do those things for you and it makes me feel uncomfortable."

"But you do so much more than that for me," he insisted, blocking my path with his still shirtless form. "Ella, I honestly don't know where I'd be if I hadn't met you. I know this is absolutely crazy and I really hope it doesn't scare you off. I mean if it does, then at least you got a vacation and a purse out of it. But I am so happy when I'm around you. You're the best thing that's happened to me." I looked up at him, startled, and worry lines creased his forehead. "Too much?"

"No," I said slowly, shaking my head. "It's just weird because that's exactly what I said to Chloe last night." At these words, his face lit up and his smile was so wide I thought it would crack his face in half. He let me pass and I wheeled the suitcase into the bedroom, a smile spreading across my lips as well.

When we got on the plane, Oliver quickly loaded our bags and went up to the front to talk to the pilot; I settled down into one of the comfy leather chairs and eyed my surroundings. I had never been in a private jet before; this one was small, but extremely nice. "Queen Industries" was emblazoned on one of the walls, and the décor was mostly a pretty emerald green color, except for the chairs and the couch, which were a buttery tan leather. A desk with a computer was set up, and a curtain separated the main cabin from a tiny room in the back, which I supposed to be a bathroom. Oliver re-emerged a minute later.

"We're all set," he said, pulling me to my feet, only to pull me down onto the couch with him. "Oh, wait! I have a surprise for you." He quickly ducked into the back and when he re-emerged, he had a large carafe of steaming coffee and a box of pastries. "I know, I know, they're bad for you. It's vacation, you'll live."

"Holy Chanel, I LOVE you," I exclaimed, pulling an apple croissant out of the box and accepting the fragrant cup of coffee that he offered me. "We could just sit on the plane the whole time for all I care; this is already an outstanding mini-vacation." Oliver laughed and sat down next to me, plucking a bear claw out of the box and sipping his coffee.

The trip only took a few hours and as we neared Harbor City, I excitedly peered out the window like a small child, pointing out landmarks to Oliver, who kept his arm around me as he looked out as well. We landed and hopped off, and I immediately pulled my coat tighter around me. Harbor City was a lot colder than Metropolis, and I was glad Oliver had made me stick my gloves and scarf into my new purse. "We're here," I said gleefully, hopping up and down.

"We're here!" Oliver echoed, twirling me on the tarmac as I giggled. A private car pulled up and we slid in; we went straight to the hotel, chattering a mile a minute as we wove through the tiny city streets. Oliver checked us in while I sent Chloe a text to let her and Jimmy know I was safely on the ground, and a bellboy who was wearing a suit more expensive than my first car led us up to our room, which just so happened to be on the top floor.

"Oh my god," I breathed as I stepped in, taking in the room. It was a suite; there was a living area with a large television, bar, and full kitchen with black marble counters. The bedroom was enormous and set off of the main living space; a four poster bed sat against one wall and across from it was another huge flat screen TV. A set of comfortable but fancy chairs was against the other wall, and a huge fireplace was situated just under the television. The entire suite was decorated in deep reds, oranges, and gold, which reminded me of autumn in Harbor City. It was entirely befitting. What took my breath away, however, was the view. The windows were nearly floor to ceiling and overlooked the city; it was absolutely stunning. I stood and stared while the bellboy unloaded our bags, unable to even think of anything comprehensive enough to say. "This is…amazing, Oliver. It's so beautiful."

"It is," he agreed, coming up behind me. "What would you like to do first? We could have lunch in the hotel, or we could order room service-" I cut him off.

"Listen, Queen, Harbor City is my old stomping grounds. I used to come here like three times a year to visit friends. We're not doing the billionaire vacation- prepare to drink beer, eat a lot of greasy food, and walk your feet off." Oliver laughed and I shook my finger at him. "I'm serious. You'll love it as much as I do by the time the weekend is over, I promise!"

True to my word, we walked out of the hotel hand in hand and stopped by one of my favorite pubs for a lunch of burgers and beer. Afterwards, we wandered around the city, admiring a few historical buildings but spending most of the afternoon at the aquarium, which was phenomenal. We kept stopping to kiss in the weird blue-green light, and I reflected that I had never, ever been quite so happy as I was that afternoon.

When we got back to the hotel that night, we were both exhausted. Oliver flopped on the bed, kicking his shoes off and sighing contentedly. "Now will you let me order room service?" he asked, grabbing my hand as I passed him and pulling me into bed. "You can't possibly have the energy to walk anymore."

I grinned. "Suggestion."

"Do tell," he replied, pushing my hair out of my face.

"Fill up the bathtub. I'm going to run and get us food. We'll enjoy a nice bubble bath and then have dinner. Sound good?" I sat up, pushing off of his chest.

"Sounds excellent," Oliver said, but pulled me back down to him for a kiss. "You sure you don't want me to come with you?"

I shook my head mischievously. "Then you'd know where to get the best Thai food in the city, and I never give away my secrets, even to billionaires." Oliver laughed and I jumped up, grabbing my coat off the back of the chair I had slung it on. "Back in 20, love." I skipped out the door and took the elevator down to the sumptuous lobby, waving at the bellboy as I ducked out the front door. I ordered the Thai food at a tiny hole in the wall down the street and then went back out into the cold to grab a bottle of wine while I was waiting. True to my word, I returned 20 minutes later with two steaming bags full of Thai food and the bottle of red wine. "Ollie?"

"Get in here!" he called from the bathroom, and I pulled off my coat and wandered in. Oliver was soaking in the tub almost up to his chin in bubbles, a couple of candles lit on the sink counter. He grinned at me. "I mean, get in the tub." I happily complied.


	16. Chapter 16

We both slept solidly that night; I awoke to sunlight peeking in through a crack in the curtains and disentangled myself from Oliver's tanned arms. Pulling the heavy curtains open slightly, I smiled to see a clear blue sky awaiting me- the perfect day for walking tours. "Ollie," I whispered, creeping back to the bed. "Ollie, it's nerd day, we get to go on history tours and drink beer. Wake up!"

Oliver's eyes snapped open and he grinned. "You are amazing. Where did you come from?" he demanded, yanking me into his arms and tickling me as I squealed happily. After a few more minutes of wrestling around, we quickly got dressed and headed out for coffee and eggs at a nearby diner.

We went on three different history tours that day; I loved seeing Oliver so excited and interested in all of the little facts that the tour guides informed us of. We stopped periodically for snacks and beer, and I introduced him to some of my favorite pubs in the Back Bay. It was late afternoon when we reached the Harbor City Common, which was bathed in fading sunlight. Oliver led me into the common, idly wandering the paths, and we sat down in the grass together, snuggling for warmth. "This is the best trip ever," I said, smiling into his coat. "Thank you so much."

"Agreed, and thank you," he said. I pulled back and rolled my eyes at him. "No, really. You're the first girl that I've taken on vacation who hasn't wanted to spend the entire day shopping or going to fancy restaurants and clubs. This has been amazing."

"I'm glad you're having fun," I said lightly. "You're really going to like dinner." We eventually got to our feet after a half hour or so of people watching and grabbed a cab over to the harbor, where we ate seafood on an outside deck that was nearly empty due to the cold. The waitress seated us directly under a heat lamp and I was perfectly warm as we sipped coffee after dinner, idly chatting.

"What do you want to do tonight?" Oliver asked, trying to pick up the check off of the table. I was too quick for him and slid my credit card into the book, handing it to our waitress with a smile.

I shrugged. "I don't know…I'm kind of tired, but I'm not averse to a few drinks somewhere if you want to go out."

Oliver looked at me thoughtfully before replying. "What I want to do is go back to the hotel, get a bottle of wine, and look at the city lights with you out on the balcony."

I smiled at him, biting my lip. "That's perfect," I said happily, and we wandered back out to the street after collecting my credit card. Oliver bought two bottles of a fancy red (to my protestation) and we took a cab back to the hotel. Upstairs, I pulled off my coat and slipped into one of the hooded sweatshirts Oliver had brought. He followed suit and grabbed two wine glasses and we went out to the balcony, where the view of the city was absolutely outstanding. It was cold, but Oliver wrapped his arm around me and we sat down together on the settee, admiring the way the lights twinkled against the velvety black sky.

"I have to tell you something," Oliver said after a few moments of contented silence. I involuntarily felt a lurch of nerves, fearing he was about to admit something that would make me not-so-happy.

"What?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even and nonchalant. He smoothed my hair out of my eyes before speaking again.

"I've only known you for a month. But Ella, I feel like I'm starting to fall for you." He smiled at me. "Sorry if that's too soon. I just haven't felt like that for a while and it's…a great feeling."

I shook my head firmly. "It's not too soon because I feel the exact same way. I thank my lucky stars every day that you're around." He pulled me close to him once more, and we lapsed back into contented silence as I gazed out over the glittering city.

We had to go back to Metropolis the next evening and spent the day wandering the city. We explored a used bookstore for over an hour and ducked into a few tourist traps so I could get souvenirs for Jimmy and Chloe. At around four, we grabbed a cab, ran by the hotel to get our bags, and headed for the airstrip. I promptly fell asleep on the plane and didn't wake up until we landed in Metropolis.

"Ella," Oliver said softly, gently shaking me. "Wake up, we're back."

"What time is it?" I asked, blearily yawning and stretching.

"Almost seven," Oliver replied. "Do you want to sleep at my house?" I nodded at him; I was in no mood to spend the night apart after such an amazing weekend.


	17. Chapter 17

Before I knew it, a month had elapsed and Christmas was only a few days away. We had all been invited to the Kent farm for Christmas dinner, as my aunt Maura had taken off on yet another vacation with her flavor of the month.

Oliver was supposed to pick me, Jimmy, and Chloe up in his car; Jimmy and Chloe were going to stay at her father's house in Smallville and drive back into the city the next day with Lois. I was coming back to Metropolis with Oliver. When I had asked Oliver his Christmas plans, he had shrugged and replied_ "Same thing as every year. Sleep late, go out for an early dinner, and out to a club." _I had immediately felt a pang of sadness and informed him that this year, his plans would be changing.

I heard the door buzz and stopped swiping eyeshadow on Chloe's eyelid momentarily. "Jimmy! Door!" I shouted, and she giggled from her seat on the closed toilet.

"Why can't you get it?" Jimmy complained vociferously, shuffling to the door from his spot on the couch, where he had been drinking eggnog and watching _A Christmas Story_. "You've been hogging the bathroom since lunch time." I heard him swing the door open and greet Oliver, and I finished Chloe's eye makeup with a final coat of mascara and went out to the living room.

"One: you don't need the bathroom because apparently you've chosen to bathe in eggnog," I said smartly to Jimmy, pointing to the stain on his shirt from where he had slopped his drink. Oliver snickered. "Two: if you want your present, shut up." Jimmy made a face at me but laughed when I flipped him a rude gesture. I swung into Oliver's arms, giving him a solid kiss. "Hi," I said.

"Merry Christmas Eve," he replied gallantly, pulling a bouquet of red, green, and white tulips out from behind his back. I gasped; tulips were my favorite. "You look beautiful, by the way." I was wearing a pretty red cocktail dress; it was rather demure, but perfect for a family gathering. Chloe had swept my hair up into an elegant updo and I was wearing ruby drop earrings and a matching bracelet.

"Thank you," I said, kissing him again. "You look handsome yourself." He was wearing a plain black suit with a festive red tie. He crossed the room and sat down next to Jimmy, accepting a glass of eggnog, and they both laughed at something on the screen. I returned to the bathroom to sit on the counter and pull on strappy red high heels that matched my dress perfectly. Chloe looked gorgeous; she was wearing my emerald green cocktail dress and her hair was clipped back; diamond earrings sat in her earlobes. "We look hot," I remarked, glancing at our reflection in the mirror. Chloe nodded, grinning at me as she spritzed on perfumed.

The drive out to Smallville was uneventful; Jimmy and I argued over the music in Oliver's car the entire time. The Kent farmhouse was beautifully decorated for the holiday and Martha Kent was beyond charming; I could see how she survived in the Senate. I helped her set the table and we talked about Metropolis and Clark. I liked her instantly.

Dinner was delicious; afterwards, we gathered in the living room for a few drinks and small presents. Chloe and Lois had organized a secret Santa drawing and I had gotten Chloe, to my delight, buying her a copy of _Gonzo_. Lois tossed me my gift and I studied the wrapping paper, snuggled up to Oliver on the couch. "Well, obviously it was a male who wrapped this," I remarked, and everyone laughed – it looked like a small child had wrapped the present. The paper was wrinkled, the tape blobby, and I fought a grin as I pried the ends open. I pulled the paper off and something square plopped into my lap. Picking it up, I saw a pretty wooden frame holding a picture of Jimmy and I at our first Christmas together. I bit my lip and looked at him, fighting the urge to cry.

"Thank you, J," I said simply, and he shot me a look that said it all. Oliver squeezed my shoulders and I smiled, studying the picture with him.

At around 11, we all stood to make our goodbyes. I thanked Martha profusely and begged her to stop by the Planet and say hello next time she was in the city.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow night, right?" Jimmy asked, shifting from foot to foot in the driveway and hugging himself against the cold. I knew he felt bad for staying in Smallville, but I didn't mind.

"Dinner and presents at Ollie's, six o'clock," I replied, kissing Chloe on the cheek and giving her a quick hug. "Call me when you wake up! Merry Christmas, love you!" Chloe and Jimmy piled into Lois' tiny red car and zoomed off down the lane; I climbed into Oliver's car and took his hand when he settled into the driver's seat. "What a nice night," I remarked as he wove through the dark, winding roads that led back to the Kent farm.

"Are you sure you want to come back to Metropolis with me?" Oliver asked suddenly, keeping his eyes trained on the road. "I don't want to take you away from family time." His voice was rather strained and I blinked at him.

"Of course I'm sure," I replied, shifting in my seat so that I was facing him. "We're going to have a fantastic Christmas morning together and then everyone will come over for dinner. You're not taking me away from family time, Ollie. Jimmy is staying at the Sullivan's, and he's the only family I've got."

"If you're sure," he replied, still not meeting my gaze. I knew something was wrong, but couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Oliver," I said firmly. "I want to spend Christmas with you, ok? Unless you want me to go back to Smallville so you can go clubbing." I gave him a snarky look.

"No, no!" he said hurriedly. "I just want to make sure this is how you want to spend your holiday; I know you love Christmas." He seemed sad and I stared at him.

"This is exactly how I want to spend it," I said quietly, and leaned over to kiss the corner of his mouth. To my relief, he smiled.

"I was just making sure," he said.

"Spending Christmas Eve with friends and family, Christmas morning with you, and Christmas night with family and friends again? I couldn't ask for a better holiday, Ollie. You should know that." He was silent for a moment before replying.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so used to not really having a Christmas. For the past ten years I've been spending it alone and I didn't want my Scrooge-ness to rub off on you." I laughed at his term and shook my head.

"Come on, Ollie. Obviously it didn't- have you looked around your apartment lately?" He chuckled. I had convinced him that we should decorate his apartment and it was like a Christmas explosion had taken place. We had even gotten an eight foot Christmas tree and spent the entirety of one Saturday night decorating it and drinking hot chocolate. "Listen to me. I spend last Christmas sitting in my apartment, drinking wine and watching crappy old movies. It sucks to be alone on Christmas. This year's been wonderful so far and tomorrow will be even better. So don't worry about being a Scrooge. I won't let you in the door of your apartment." Oliver laughed and suddenly, I shot forward in my seat. "Ollie…is it snowing?" My voice went into a high-pitched squeal at the end.

Oliver peered out the windshield as well. "I think it is!" he exclaimed. "You've never had snow on Christmas, have you?" I shook my head, unbuckling my seatbelt.

"Pull over!" I begged, and he did, flicking on his blinker and stopping on the side of the road. I jumped out immediately and ran around to his side of the car as fast as I could in my high heels, my head tilted up towards the sky. "It's SNOWING!" I fairly shrieked, and hopped up and down. Oliver laughed again and pulled me to him, also turning his gaze up to the clouds.

"Merry Christmas," he murmured into my hair, and I hugged him tightly.

He drove slowly back to Metropolis and laughed when I turned on Christmas music and rode with my face pressed against the window like a little kid. When we got to his apartment, I changed into a short lacey nightgown and wandered back out to where he was seated on the couch.

"It's midnight," he said, pulling me down into his lap. "Merry Christmas, Ella." I kissed him, smiling.

"Merry Christmas, Ollie," I replied. "Oh shit, I forgot to put out milk and cookies."

Oliver laughed. "Seriously?" I blushed furiously.

"It's one of my traditions," I said defensively. "I do it every year and I will until the day I die. Traditions are important to me." Oliver smiled and kissed me again.

"Do you want to do presents now?" he suddenly asked. "I want you to be able to enjoy yours tomorrow." I thought for a moment and nodded; the gift I had gotten him wasn't really something I wanted him to open in front of everyone, anyway. I jumped up and darted into his bedroom, where I had hidden his gifts in an overnight bag.

"Small ones first," I announced, pulling him over to the Christmas tree and plopping down on the rug. Unsure what to get a billionaire, I had gotten Oliver a few books that I knew he wanted to read, a framed picture of us on our second date, and a couple of pounds of pumpkin coffee. He, in turn, presented me with a stack of books that I had been meaning to read, and a framed picture of us in Harbor City. I laughed when I opened the gifts. "Great minds think alike," I remarked.

"Here's your big one." Oliver seemed shy suddenly, and handed me a small wrapped box that I took with some trepidation. I had warned him not to spend a lot of money on me and hoped he had listened. Pulling the paper off revealed a small velvet box, and I glanced at him before cracking it; he was biting his lap and watching me intently.

"Oh, Oliver," I said, gasping. "You shouldn't have. This is so beautiful." A sparkling emerald pendant necklace was nestled into the box and I put a hand over my mouth.

"Do you like it?" he asked nervously, moving closer to me on the floor in his red and green plaid pajama pants that I had bought him. "Green's my favorite color. This way it'll remind you of me when you wear it."

"I love it," I replied. "Thank you so much, Ollie, God. It's gorgeous." He helped me remove it from the box and carefully fastened it around my neck; I immediately turned back to him and threw my arms around him.

"Merry Christmas," he said, kissing the side of my head. When we broke apart, I bounded over to the couch to get his gift.

"So, I pretty much had no idea what to get the man who has everything," I said, now nervous myself. "I hope you like it." I handed him the carefully wrapped package and sat down next to him, watching him unwrap it. His face lit up as soon as he realized what it was and he began to flip pages, studying the contents of the scrapbook I had given him. Through a lot of persistence and digging, I had been able to locate old family photographs of the Queen family, and had created an enormous scrapbook full of them for Oliver.

"Ella," Oliver said, shaking his head. The tree was twinkling merrily behind him; outside, I could see that the snow was beginning to fall more quickly.

"Do you like it?" I asked quickly, suddenly worried.

"I love it," he said, and his voice was thick with emotion. He carefully set the book down and hugged me tightly. "That's the best gift I've ever gotten. You're amazing."

"Merry Christmas," I replied softly. We moved up to the couch and Oliver flipped through the scrapbook, telling me all the stories behind the photograph. I laughed the entire time listening to his funny anecdotes, but at one point silent tears began to build behind my eyes.

"Don't cry!" he exclaimed, setting down the scrapbook and tilting my chin so I was looking at him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry!"

"Shut up," I said, shaking my head. "You didn't make me cry. I'm just so sorry that you don't have your parents." Oliver's eyes welled up at that too, and I climbed into his lap. "You're a wonderful person, Ollie. I know they're so proud of you."

"I wish you could have met them," he said, his voice muffled against my neck. "They would have loved you."

We ended up falling asleep on the couch and I was awoken the next morning by the smell of coffee brewing. I stretched and sat up. Oliver was in the kitchen, making breakfast, and I went over to him and put my arms around him. "Good morning, MERRY CHRISTMAS!" I yelled, but it was interrupted by an enormous yawn.

"Morning, Merry Christmas, sweetness," he replied, and handed me a cup of coffee. "Peppermint mocha, just like you like it."

"I love you," I said carelessly, and then blushed. "Can I hire you to make me coffee every morning?" Oliver laughed and I turned away, my eyes wide. I hadn't meant to let that slip out; I said it to often to friends that it didn't seem that big of a deal but when I thought about Oliver, I knew it was true. Some people may have scoffed and said I didn't know him well enough to love him, but I did. I had completely fallen for him.

"Well, we already did presents. What's on the agenda for the day, Ms. Tradition?" Oliver teased me as we sipped our coffee on the couch, my legs in his lap. I sat up a bit straighter and began to list things out loud, ticking them off on my fingers.

"Parade. Walk in the snow. Get dinner started, have sex, take a nap, then eat dinner with everyone and have cocktails. Good?"

Oliver wiggled his eyebrows. "Sounds like the perfect Christmas to me…although we may have to do things out of order." He pressed his mouth against mine and I giggled, sliding underneath him.


	18. Chapter 18

Oliver and I spent the morning getting dinner ready and then going for a walk in the park that afternoon, chucking snowballs at each other and running around, laughing wildly. "You look beautiful right now," he said at one point, catching me by the arm and pulling me to him. I laughed loudly- my beanie was falling off and I'm sure pieces of hair were madly sticking out of it, my cheeks were bright red, and my jacket was covered in snow from where Oliver had gotten me good earlier. "I…" Oliver broke off, stopping himself, and I stared curiously at him. "Are you ready to head back? I need to shower before everyone comes over." I nodded, taking his offered hand, and we traipsed back to the apartment to get ready.

I slipped into a silky black dress after my shower, carefully fastening on my new necklace, and padded barefoot out to the kitchen to see if Oliver would make me a cup of coffee. He was standing in the kitchen shirtless wearing a Santa hat, already putting grounds in the French press. I laughed and jumped on him to kiss him.

We ended up making an enormous ham and sides for dinner; Chloe, Jimmy, Lois, Lana, and Clark showed up at around 6:30, gifts in hand. Martha had flown back to D.C earlier in the day and sent her regrets that she couldn't make it. After stuffing ourselves at the table, we all adjourned to the living room to admire the Christmas tree, exchange gifts, and have champagne. As Chloe and I were laughing wildly at what Jimmy had given her as a joke present, I saw Lois slip Oliver a small green package; Jimmy caught my eyes and raised his eyebrows.

"What'd you get, Oliver?" he shouted across the room, and I had to suppress a smirk. Oliver shrugged, ripping the paper off, and I noticed Lois' face had gone pink. As he took in his present, Oliver's face took on a nervous, strained expression. He cleared his throat, hesitating. "Was it something good?" Jimmy asked, balling up a piece of wrapping paper and tossing it at Clark.

Oliver hesitated a moment longer and held up the gift. It was a framed picture him and Lois and I felt Chloe squirm uncomfortably next to me; I nearly bit my tongue off trying to hold back what I wanted to say. Instead, I downed my champagne and went into the kitchen for a refill, snagging Chloe's glass as I passed the table. Within seconds, Oliver was standing next to me.

"I'm sorry," he said in a low voice. "I don't know what the deal is with her, Ella."

"I know," I sighed. "It's just annoying. Like, come on. You and I have been…whatever ….for like two months. Can't she just face facts and move on already?" I made a disgusted face and leaned on the counter, annoyed that Lois had put a damper on one of my favorite holidays.

"Well, just know that this has been one of the best Christmases ever, and it's all because of you," he said, slipping his arms around me. I smiled at him, my annoyance already dissipating.

"Likewise," I said. "And I have the whole week in between Christmas and New Year's off, did I mention that?"

Oliver raised his eyebrows, pouring me another glass of champagne. "You did not. They don't need you? I thought the news never stopped."

I giggled. "Well, I'm not a hot shot reporter like Lois or Chloe, and Annette took the week off, which means I have no one to babysit me. So I get a week off with pay. I'm not complaining by any means."

"We'll have to do something special," Oliver suggested. "Extend Christmas." I kissed his jaw and took my champagne, grabbing Chloe's now full glass and returning to the living room.

"Everything ok?" Jimmy mouthed to me from across the room, and I nodded, smiling at him.

After presents, we polished off a couple more bottles of champagne before Jimmy stood, yawning. "All this Christmas stuff wears me out," he said, stretching. "You about ready, ladies?" Chloe nodded and stood, crossing the room to hug Ollie and I.

"Thank you for a lovely dinner," she said, kissing my cheek. "I'll talk to you later," she murmured in my ear, and I nodded with a grin. Lois, Clark and Lana also stood, gathering their presents and coats.

Oliver and I saw everyone out, waving as they clanged the elevator shut. I noticed that Lois had a forlorn look on her face and rolled my eyes, turning back to face Oliver once they were out of sight. "Merry Christmas," I said, kicking off my heels and standing on my tip-toes to give him a kiss.

"Merry Christmas to you, too," he replied, smiling at me. He crossed the room and picked up our champagne glasses, topping them off quickly. "Here's to us," he said, his eyes meeting mine. I bit my lip and grinned, tapping my glass against his. "So what should we do for our extended Christmas?"

"I don't know," I said thoughtfully. "We just went to Harbor City. Are you sure you can really take a week off?"

Oliver laughed. "I own the company, Ella." I blushed but laughed too. "I can do whatever I want, pretty much. Do you want to go somewhere? We could take the plane. What about Star City?"

I froze up and sat down quickly on the couch, a bubble of anxiety welling in my throat, which Oliver immediately noticed. He sat down next to me, sliding an arm around my shoulders. "I can't," I said, my voice tight. "I can't go back there, Ollie. I'm sorry."

Oliver gently grabbed my chin, tilting my face so I was looking at him. "Hey. It's ok, Ella. I understand. I wasn't thinking, of course you wouldn't want to go back there until things are settled. Don't worry about it, ok?" I nodded, wrapping my fingers through his, but still nervously chewed my lip, my heart beating a bit faster than normal. "I have a suggestion. Let's just stay here. I meant to tell you earlier, there's a huge New Year's event that I have to go to…will you be my date?"

I grinned, finally relaxing, and turned to put my legs in his lap. "Of course," I replied. "That means I get to buy a dress."

"We only have to go for a couple of hours," Oliver continued, rubbing my now bare feet. "Then we can sneak out and meet Jimmy and Chloe. Sound good?"

I nodded, leaning forward to kiss him again. "Sounds perfect to me." I drained the rest of my champagne, setting the glass carefully on the table. The fire was crackling merrily, and Christmas carols were still drifting softly out of the stereo; Oliver and I gazed at the lights twinkling on the tree, the snow falling gently outside. I felt an overwhelming urge to tell him just how I felt at that very moment, but fought it for fear that it was too much, too soon. Instead, I snuggled up close to him, a bubble of happiness enveloping me.


	19. Chapter 19

For the next few days, Oliver and I laid relatively low. I went back to Jimmy's to grab a big bag of clothes, and we spent most of our time watching movies and reading. We ran and worked out together in the morning, made breakfast, and then spent our afternoons relaxing on the couch or wandering around the city, ducking in and out of tiny shops that I had no idea were even there. At night, we cooked dinner, opened a bottle of wine, and proceeded to plow through a list of movies that we had both been meaning to see. It was entirely domestic and maybe even a bit boring to anyone looking in from the outside, but I was completely content.

"Ollie?" I called softly, slipping off my flats as I stepped out of the elevator, sliding the metal doors shut with a clang. I had been out searching for a dress for New Year's while Oliver took a conference call; he had promised to wrap things up early so we could order Chinese food and watch a few of the scary movies we had rented the day before. The loft was silent, and I poked my head into Oliver's office as I padded through the living room. "Ollie, where are you?" The office was empty, but his computer monitor was still lit up and there was a half-drank glass of water sweating on the desk.

I frowned and shut the door, making my way up the metal stairs that led to the second floor of the loft. "Oliver?" I called again as I padded down the dim hallway, but froze when I heard a soft giggle. My heart began to beat a little faster as I walked seemingly in slow motion towards his bedroom door and stretched out my hand to turn the shiny silver knob. I slowly pushed the door open, already dreading what I was about to find, and drew in my breath sharply as I took in the scene. The emerald green curtains that covered the ceiling high windows were drawn, and the only light came from candles that were strewn about and the crackling fireplace – a scene that was all too familiar. Oliver was on his back on his sprawling bed, shirtless. Above him hovered Lois, who was clad in pale blue lingerie and nothing else.

I snatched my hand off of the doorknob as if it were on fire, my heart pounding in my ears. My eyes began to burn fiercely and my throat tightened so that I could barely breathe.

"Oh," Lois suddenly said, turning her head to look at me but not changing her position as she leaned over Oliver. "We have company, Ollie." She smirked and the last thing I saw was Oliver's horrified face before I turned and blindly fled down the stairs. I grabbed my flats, not even bothering to put them on, and jumped into the elevator. I forcibly yanked the doors shut and held my breath as it slowly ground into life, squeezing my eyes closed as I descended. I pulled my shoes on and jumped out of the elevator as soon as it hit the bottom floor, running out into the street and heading blindly for Jimmy's apartment.

As I tore through the now dim streets of Metropolis, barely noticing the early evening crowds on the sidewalk as I wove through them, my cell phone began to ring shrilly. I groped for it in my purse and hesitated when I saw the caller ID – Oliver. I stared at it for a second but hit yes, shakily bringing the phone up to my ear as I stopped to wait for a crosswalk.

"Ella," Oliver said frantically. "Ella, you have to come back, please let me explain, I don't know what happened -"

I cut him off. "There's nothing to explain," I said coldly, but the tremor in my voice gave me away. "We're done. Don't call me again." I hung up and promptly burst into tears, dropping the phone back into my purse and ignoring the stares I was getting from other pedestrians. The sun was setting and darkness was beginning to creep into the sky; I barely noticed as I heavily climbed the dingy stairs that led to Jimmy's place, tears still sliding down my face.

I slid my key into the lock and let myself in, praying that neither Jimmy or Chloe would be there. Unfortunately, my prayers were ignored – both of them were there, drinking wine and gleefully playing tennis on the Wii. "Ella!" Chloe said happily. "Want to play me? I suck." She and Jimmy laughed but she stopped when she saw my face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," I muttered, and went into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind me. I sat down on the closed toilet seat and that was when the tears started again. I buried my face in a towel and tried to muffle them, but within seconds the door had opened and Chloe poked her head in, her face worried.

"Ella! What's wrong?" she asked alarmedly as she saw my face, and hurried over to me with Jimmy on her heels. "Why are you crying?"

"Ollie…" I trailed off as my eyes began to well up again. "I went to his place. I interrupted him and Lois." I spat Lois' name; I had never wanted to slap anyone as much as I wanted to slap her in that moment. My hands began to shake again and Chloe grabbed one of them.

"What?" she asked incredulously. "Lois?" Her voice gave away her confusion and she sank to her knees next to me, still holding my hand tightly. Jimmy flicked on the bathroom light, and I blinked against it, taking a deep breath.

"That stupid bitch!" he exclaimed, and Chloe shot him a look but focused her attention back on me.

"Tell us what happened," she said gently. "Here, let's go out to the living room. She led me out of the bathroom; Jimmy grabbed a handful of tissues and as I sat down on the couch, Chloe pressed a glass of wine into my hands. I gratefully took a gulp, the warmth making me feel a bit better.

"I was out shopping and I went back to his house; we were supposed to watch movies tonight," I said, taking another sip of wine for composure. "I got there and couldn't find him, but then I heard a girl laugh from his bedroom, so I went in and he was in bed with Lois." Two more tears slid out of my eyes and Chloe gasped; Jimmy took another route entirely and began a litany of curse words against both Lois and Oliver. "Lois has good taste in lingerie, by the way," I added bitterly.

"There has to be some explanation," Chloe said in disbelief, her eyes wide and upset. "Lois wouldn't do that; she wasn't over Oliver, but she wouldn't do that to you!"

I shook my head. "She did, Chloe. I saw it." I bit my lip so hard I felt like it was bleeding. Just then, a loud knock sounded at the door. Jimmy jumped to his feet and strode over, not bothering to look through the peephole as he continued to curse.

"I knew it," he said. "I KNEW it. I've never trusted him, this is the last straw-" he opened the door, revealing Oliver standing in the hallway, his face white and strained. He was wearing jeans and a leather jacket and his hair was disheveled; I idly wondered if it was from Lois running her hands through it and recoiled at the thought.

"Ella, please," he begged, trying to push past Jimmy and into the apartment. I noticed he was wearing the same blue shirt that had been lying on the floor next to his bed, and felt another wave of hurt. "You have to hear me out."

"What I saw said it all," I said trying to seem tough but failing, my voice shaking as a traitorous tear slipped out of one eye. "There's nothing else to say."

"You need to go," Jimmy said firmly, blocking Oliver's entrance to the apartment with his body. His eyes were blazing with anger and I hoped he wouldn't start anything physical. Oliver was a lot bigger than he was.

"Ella, you don't understand," Oliver said pleadingly. I shook my head and dropped my eyes to the floor and he broke past Jimmy, striding into the apartment. In an instant, Chloe was on her feet and stepped in his path, her eyes fierce.

"I think you should go," she said icily. Oliver shook his head impatiently and tried to step around her, but Chloe put a hand on his chest, pushing him back slightly. "Oliver. You should go. Just leave her alone." Chloe was trying to remain calm but I could see anger in her eyes. Oliver stared at me for a moment and moved his mouth wordlessly, and then turned on his heel, silently sweeping out of the apartment. Jimmy slammed the door behind him and crossed back to where I was on the couch, sitting down next to me and taking my hand.

I crumpled up on the couch, giving way to the tears that had been slowly leaking out of my eyes. Chloe sat down next to me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "I'm sorry Ella," she said softly, and I nodded as I continued to cry. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this, I promise you." Her phone suddenly vibrated on the table, startling all of us. She snatched it up and checked the caller ID, sucking in her breath. "It's Lois."

"Answer it!" Jimmy shouted, jumping up and beginning to pace back and forth in front of us in the tiny living room. "Who does she think she is? Answer it, I want to know what the hell she thinks she's doing!" Chloe held a hand up to silence him before flipping open her phone.

"Lois," she said flatly. "Where are you?" She was silent for a moment, and Jimmy came over and dropped down next to her, angling his head so he could hear Lois' side of the conversation. "Lois, what did you do? Ella saw you at Oliver's, how could you-" she stopped again and I could hear Lois yelling on the other end of the phone, although I couldn't make out the words. "LOIS!" Chloe said in a shocked tone. "Hello? Hello?" She clicked her phone shut and stood quickly.

"She's on something," she said, her voice slightly panicky. "She said she's going back to Smallville. I'm really worried, Jimmy, I'm going to go find her."

"I'll go with you," Jimmy announced, standing as well. "The last thing we need is Lois going nuts and getting into trouble in Smallville; she's already got quite the reputation there."

Chloe shook her head, her blonde hair falling into her eyes. "You should stay with Ella," she said, grabbing her purse off of the floor and beginning to dig around for her keys. "Ella, I am so sorry…I hate that I have to leave, especially after what she's done, but she's my cousin and-"

I cut her off. "No," I said quickly. "It's fine, I understand. Jimmy, go help Chloe. I want to be alone anyway." I chewed my lip hard, wringing my hands in my lap. The sun had dropped out of the sky and darkness pervaded the small apartment as lights began to flicker on in buildings around us.

"Are you sure?" Jimmy said quietly, chucking my chin so I was looking up at him. I nodded, swiping at my tear-stained face with my sleeve.

"I'm fine," I murmured. Chloe flicked on the light on the table next to the couch and began to hurry back and forth from the kitchen.

"Ok, supplies," she said, stacking things on the coffee table in front of me. "Here's the wine- it's yours to finish. I bought chips and dip. We rented Zombieland. Tissues, water, purse." She bent down and hugged me, hard. "Ella, I swear, I'm going to figure out what happened," she promised, pushing a stray lock of hair off my face. I nodded silently and sat back on the sofa, huddling into the cushions.

Jimmy pulled me into a hug. "I have my phone," he said. "If you need anything- ANYTHING- call me. I can be back here in under an hour. And we'll keep you posted on what's going on, ok?" The two of them hurried out of the apartment and I heard Jimmy carefully lock the door behind him. I was relieved to finally be alone.

The thought of eating made me feel ill, so I forced down a glass of water and dropped into my futon, clicking on the television to attempt to distract myself. It didn't work; my mind kept wandering back to the scene that I had witnessed at Oliver's apartment. He tried to call me and text me several times but I ignored him, sending him to voicemail every time.


	20. Chapter 20

I fell asleep at some point; I awoke to the smell of fresh coffee. I sat up hopefully in bed and peered around the divider to see Chloe sleepily brewing a pot, her hair wild and her clothes rumpled. "Hey," I said quietly, scooting to the edge of the futon and pulling on a sweater.

"Ella!" She exclaimed, pulling two mugs out of the cabinet. "I have to talk to you. I didn't want to wake you up but I figured out what happened and you're not going to believe it." She dumped creamer and sugar into the two cups and topped them with hot coffee, I hurried over to claim mine. "Do you want to sit?"

I followed her back to the couch and plopped next to her. I was so exhausted that I felt numb. "What happened?" I asked rather dully.

"Have you ever heard of red Kryptonite?" Chloe asked, taking a long pull of her coffee and eyeing me over the top of the mug. Her blonde hair was sticking straight up in the back; she had obviously gotten very little sleep the night before.

I shook my head. "Kind of. Just what Clark mentioned about it at the bar that one time. Why, what is it? I mean obviously I know what it did to him, but… what does it have to do with Lois and Ollie?"

"Its effects vary," Chloe explained, pulling her legs underneath her. "It seems that Lois got a hold of a lipstick that had a very powerful infusion of red Kryptonite, plus a few other essential oils and ingredients that made it have the overall effect of infatuation."

"A love potion?" I asked skeptically. I shifted on the couch so that I was facing Chloe, rubbing my eyes sleepily.

Chloe nodded. "I know, it sounds absurd. But think about all of the weird effects Kryptonite has had on people. In that light, does it really strike you as that odd?" I thought for a minute and then shook my head again; she was right. After all the stories Jimmy and Chloe had told me about Smallville, nothing involving the strange town and its inhabitants could really surprise me anymore. "Lois put the lipstick on and ran into Oliver at the convenience store down the street," she continued. "It was infatuation at first sight. She followed him back to his place, but not without stopping first to put on a trench coat over some lingerie. It wasn't Ollie's fault, Ella…after he kicked her out she went after Clark."

I laughed in spite of myself, clapping a hand over my mouth. "Oh, I can just see Smallville's face now." Chloe snickered too, blowing on her coffee.

"You should call Oliver," she said, and I hesitated. "What? There's an explanation for what happened."

"I just don't know," I said, chewing my lip nervously. "I mean, yes, Lois was under the influence of Kryptonite. Yes, she had underwear on under a trench coat…she must have been freezing her boobies off, by the way. Yes, she pushed herself on Oliver. But Chloe…" I stopped. I didn't know how to explain myself and how hard it was for me to trust people, but luckily, she understood without any words.

Chloe studied my face for a moment, apparently lost in thought. "I can understand why you're scared," she said. "But I'm also on the outside of the situation and the way you feel about it is much different than the way I feel. I think you should at least give him the benefit of the doubt and talk to him, Ella. Just talk. If you don't like what he has to say, then that's it - no harm done."

"Yeah, except to my ego," I muttered, pulling a face. "Thank god it's Saturday. I couldn't handle work today."

"Ugh, speaking of which, I have to get to the Planet," Chloe said, tossing back the rest of her coffee and jumping to her feet. "I promised I would help Jimmy with editing some pictures for a story we're working on. But I'll call you, we should be done early afternoon. Want to get dinner? If things are better, it'll be a double date." She grinned hopefully at me and I pulled her into a hug.

"Definitely. Thank you so much, Chloe." She hugged me back.

"No problem." She darted into the bathroom to make herself presentable and I poured myself another cup of coffee before settling back down on my futon. I picked up my phone; 12 missed calls. Taking a deep breath, I texted Oliver.

Hey. Sorry, I couldn't talk last night; I was upset.

The text back was almost immediate.

I am so happy to hear from you. Can I please talk to you? You have to let me explain.

I took a gulp from my mug and debated with myself. Like Chloe said, it was just talking. It didn't mean I had to stay with him or make any decisions that I didn't want to.

Yes. You can come over if you want; Jimmy's at the Planet until later.

He texted me back almost immediately again.

I'll be there in a half hour. Thank you, Ella, I really need to explain this to you.

Chloe came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, her hair brushed and pulled off of her face with a headband and her makeup fixed. "I talked to Oliver," I called to her as I made my bed neatly and started to pick up the random articles of clothing I had thrown all over the place. "He's coming over here to talk."

"Excellent," Chloe said with her trademark grin. "That's really great, Ella. You guys are so good together, I couldn't stand to see it end over something like this."

"We'll see," I said offhandedly, but my heart was starting to beat faster in my chest. "Call me later." Chloe waved, slipping out the door, and I quickly changed into jeans and a black Henley. I swiped on makeup, pulled my hair into a messy bun, and had just brushed my teeth and sprayed on some perfume when there was a knock at the door. Taking a deep breath, I padded out barefoot to answer it.

"Hi," I said evenly, and ushered Oliver in. "Do you want a cup of coffee?"

"That would be nice," he said, his voice subdued. He looked like hell; his face was pale and his hair even more disheveled than the night before. He had dark circles under his eyes and I knew he hadn't slept at all. He sat down on the edge of the couch, bouncing his leg nervously. I poured him a large cup of coffee and doctored it up the way he liked it, carrying it over to him carefully and sitting down a bit away from him on the couch.

"So," I said haltingly, pulling my feet underneath me. Then I stopped. I was completely clueless as to how to conduct such a conversation.

Oliver took a few big sips of coffee and set the mug down on the table, turning to me. "Ella. I am so incredibly sorry that this happened," he began. "There's nothing between me and Lois. Nothing. I have no feelings for her whatsoever and I would never cheat on you, Ella, please believe me-"

I broke in. "Chloe told me about the red Kryptonite. And I get it- nothing can really surprise me when it comes to that stuff anymore. But Ollie…" My voice cracked and I felt my eyes stinging; I dropped my gaze to the floor and tried to maintain composure.

"Ella, please. Please believe me. She showed up at my place and I buzzed her up because she said she had a few questions about a story she was working on. I was in my bedroom changing, because I had just worked out. She came in and literally pushed me back on the bed."

I shook my head. "I don't know," I said uncertainly. I wanted to believe him, but the picture in my mind made me feel nauseous. Oliver scooted towards me; I pulled back the tiniest bit, biting my lip. "I don't know, Ollie. With everything that's happened with her…"

"Please." He reached for my hand and I reluctantly let him take it. "Ella, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You pulled me out of a hole when you came to Metropolis. I don't know where I'd be if I didn't have you- probably black-out drunk somewhere, or lying in a ditch. I would never hurt you like that." His voice was urgent and to my utter shock, I could see tears in his eyes.

"I need some time," I muttered, and pulled my hand away. I felt like crying but I was confused and couldn't think straight. "I think you need to just give me a little time."

I could see the disappointment sweep across his face; a crushed look appeared in his eyes, but he stood and cleared his throat. "You know where I am; please, Ella. Don't give up on me. I need you in my life." With that, he quietly left the apartment, shutting the door gently behind him. I sucked in a deep breath and pushed my hands through my hair, shutting my eyes and trying to think.

I stood and paced over to the window; glancing out, I could see Oliver walking down the gray, dreary street towards his place. He was hunched into his coat and his hands were shoved in his pockets; he looked so downtrodden that before I knew what I was doing, I was running down the stairs of Jimmy's building in my bare feet, coatless. I burst out onto the street. "Oliver!" I shouted, weaving through a group of people on the sidewalk. "Ollie, wait!"

He turned around, his face surprised, and when he saw me running towards him began to stride purposefully in my direction. I threw myself into his arms. "Don't go," I said almost tearfully. "I don't need time, I just want you." He crushed me against him and I could feel relief coursing through him.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said, pulling back from me so that I could see his face. "I love you, Ella." My eyes widened but my lips were forming the words without a second thought.

"I love you too," I replied, and buried my face into his chest again. I shivered and then realized that I was barefoot and wearing a thin shirt; Oliver realized it at the same time.

"Let's get you upstairs, it's freezing," he said, and picked me up before I could protest. "I don't want you to step on glass." I giggled in spite of myself and put my arms around his neck.


	21. Chapter 21

When we were back in Jimmy's apartment, we immediately dropped down onto my futon and I slid into his arms, winding my fingers through his. "I'm sorry," I said, and he shook his head.

"Don't be sorry. After walking in on that? I would have reacted the same way, if not worse. I feel awful." He looked wretched while admitting this and I squeezed his hand.

"It's done now," I said, grateful that I could utter the words. "It's in the past and that's where we're going to leave it." Oliver pressed his lips to mine and I lost myself for a little while; when we broke apart, I started to run my fingers through his hair like I did when he was lying in my lap while we watched TV or read. He sighed and closed his eyes. In a few minutes, he had drifted off and I smiled, watching him sleep. I picked up my phone and texted Chloe.

All is well. Talk to you soon. Details later.

Once I had hit send, I slid back down next to Oliver and closed my eyes, drifting off into a peaceful sleep as well.

Oliver woke me up a couple of hours later, climbing out of bed to grab his phone off the counter as it rang shrilly. "Mmmph," I said, my face still mashed into the pillow, grabbing his hand. He kissed my knuckles and retrieved his phone off of the kitchen counter, dropping down next to me on the futon again and checking his missed calls.

"Clark," he said, setting his phone on my bedside table. I snickered in spite of myself. "God only know what he has to say about Lois' behavior." I started to laugh again, unable to contain myself, and Oliver rolled on top of me. "Oh, you think it's funny? Farm boy will be scarred for like after encountering red Kryptonite Lois. His idea of racy is wearing something other than flannel." That did it; I was crying with laughter as I lay pinned underneath Oliver, gasping for air. He grinned and kissed me, pushing the hair out of my eyes. "I love you," he said for the second time that day, and I stopped laughing, although the smile was still stuck on my face.

"I love you too," I replied, gazing up at him. He kissed my nose and rolled off of me, yawning. "Can you hand me my phone?" It was growing dim outside the windows, the sinking sun leaving the sky a mix of purples, lavenders, and blues. Oliver reached over and grabbed my phone, tossing it to me. I caught it and checked my texts; sure enough, there were three from Chloe and two from Jimmy. "Jimmy and Chloe are going to dinner, they want us to come," I said, stretching. "Do you want to do that?"

"Is Jimmy going to murder me still?" Oliver asked with a grimace. "I thought he was going to jump me last night when I showed up here."

"Please," I said, rolling onto my side and snuggling up to his chest. "Chloe would kill you first, you know that." He laughed and began to play with my hair. "So d'you want to?"

"Honestly?" he asked, twirling a lock of hair around his finger. "No." He paused. "Do you?"

"Nope," I said. I really didn't; I wanted to bask in the relief that Oliver and I had fixed things. "I want to go back to your place and watch movies all night like we had planned to do yesterday. And I want to show you the dress I got for New Year's."

"Is that what's crumpled in the bag by the elevator?" Oliver asked suddenly, and I pulled a face.

"I'm sure," I said, rolling my eyes. "I hope you have a steam cleaner, billionaire boy. That dress is definitely not something you can iron."

"Let's go back to my place, then," Oliver said, standing and pulling me to my feet. I nodded and hugged him tightly for a second before sending a quick text to Jimmy and gathering up my purse. We wandered slowly back to Oliver's, holding hands and admiring the first stars twinkling in the night sky. Once back at his place, I took a shower while he ordered dinner. When I came out, clad in a skimpy black nightgown, he smiled and handed me a glass of wine. "Now let's see that dress."

I skipped over and pulled the dress out of the bag, darting back into Oliver's room to try it on. It was beautiful; it was a light lavender color, strapless, and overlaid with delicate lace of the same color. I had purchased pretty silver heels and a matching clutch. I carefully slipped into it and went back out into the living room where Oliver was seated on the couch, sipping his wine. His eyes widened when he saw me.

"I like it," he said, standing and coming over to examine me more closely. "I like it a lot. You'll definitely be the most beautiful girl there." He grinned at me. "But I think I liked what you were wearing before better." I giggled and padded back into his bedroom, trading in my dress for the scrap of black lace that I called a nightgown.

The following day was New Year's Eve; I awoke late to the smell of coffee and voices in the kitchen. Yawning, I pulled on one of Oliver's sweatshirts and padded barefoot out of the bedroom, smoothing my hair and taking a quick glance in the mirror that hung in the hallway to make sure my eye makeup wasn't smeared all over my face. When I got to the kitchen, I spotted Oliver pouring hot coffee out of the French press while Jimmy and Chloe sat on the counter next to each other, munching on bagels and fruit. "Morning," I said pleasantly, accepting the hot coffee Oliver offered me. "Are you here to break Oliver's kneecaps?"

Jimmy laughed. "No, dumbo. We brought breakfast as a peace offering for kicking him out of my place the other night."

"I told them it wasn't necessary," Oliver said, shrugging. "But then I saw the salt bagels and knew you'd murder me if I didn't accept."

"And there you are correct, sir," I said, snatching one out of the bag. "What's up, guys?"

"We need to make plans for tonight," Jimmy said importantly. "Black Box is having a New Year's Party, do you guys want to go?" I glanced at Oliver, my mouth full of bagel, and he spoke up, setting down his coffee mug.

"We have to go to an event," he said, rubbing a hand through his hair. "It's here in the city, so we'll skip out around 10 and meet you. Does that work? We'll be there well before midnight."

"Oooh, did you get a dress?" Chloe breathed, her eyes excited over her coffee. Jimmy rolled his eyes and stuffed a handful of strawberries in his mouth, at which I shot him a disgusted look before nodding.

"And I probably shouldn't be eating a bagel if I want to fit into it," I remarked, grinning. "Want to see it?" She nodded and I set my coffee down, hurrying into the bedroom, where it was hung on the back of the door, with Chloe on my heels.

"It's gorgeous," she said, fingering the lace. "What color shoes?" I tossed her the delicate silver heels I had picked up and she grinned. "Perfect. You're going to look stunning, Ella. Ollie won't be able to take his eyes off of you!"

"That's the plan," I said, stuffing a piece of bagel in my mouth, and we both giggled.

"OLIVER JONAS QUEEN!" I shouted later that day, banging on the closed bathroom door. "I need my eyeliner, stop primping and hand it over!" A minute later, the door swung open. Oliver was dressed in a black tux, his brown eyes sparkling as he smiled at me. I tried not to stare but failed miserably and sidled up to him, only for him to grab me and hold me at arm's length.

"You look absolutely beautiful," he said, spinning me. I had coaxed my hair into soft, shiny curls and smoothed them into a loose bun with lots of tendrils. My eye makeup was a soft pink and lavender scheme that made my skin glow, and I was wearing silver diamond drop earrings and the necklace Ollie had given me for Christmas. "Ella. Every other girl there is going to want to maim you."

I laughed. "Yeah, because I'm with you, idiot!" I moved in and kissed him, and he put his hand on my face, his eyes crinkled with happiness. "Thanks for taking me."

"Thanks for going," he replied, sighing. "It's going to be boring, I'll forewarn you. Lots of big shot stuck-up snobs and their trophy wives. We'll drink some good champagne and leave as early as possible, ok?" I nodded, taking his hand and picking up my clutch off the dresser.

The limo dropped us off out front and we pushed our way to the door through a mob of photographers; the bulbs nearly blinded me and I clung to Oliver tightly. He led me inside, where we were immediately mobbed again by more paparazzi and an assortment of guests. A cocktail waitress passed us both elegant crystal flutes full of champagne, which we gratefully accepted. We pushed our way into the crowd; I was dizzy with all of the money so blatantly being flashed around. Women dripped with pounds of jewels while most of the men wore suits I knew cost more than my entire wardrobe. Oliver squeezed my hand and led me over to the elaborate bar set up in the corner of the room; we began to idly chat and surreptitiously snicker at people until a shorter, bald man caught my eyes. He was standing across the room with his arm around a bone-thin blonde, staring at Oliver and me with what looked like venom in his eyes. I bit my lip, suddenly nervous for some reason I couldn't pinpoint.

"Ollie," I whispered, tugging his hand. "Who is that?" I tilted my head towards the man, trying to be inconspicuous. Oliver flicked his gaze in that direction after a moment and then rolled his eyes, taking a gulp of champagne.

"The famous Lex Luthor," he said drily. "And don't look now, but he's coming over here." I turned to see the man approaching us, having deserted his date.


	22. Chapter 22

"Hello," he said in a low, smooth voice, holding out his hand to Oliver. His eyes were a cold, flinty blue and radiated none of the warmth that his smile claimed to have. "Oliver, I heard you were dating a beauty but words don't do her justice."

"I know," Oliver said stiffly. "She's a great girl."

Lex turned to me and I stuck out my hand, uncomfortable under his chilly gaze.

"Ella Harrow," I said politely, and Lex grazed the back of my knuckles with his lips. Oliver made a rude noise next to me and leaned over the bar to order us more champagne.

"Might I steal her from you for a dance?" Lex asked, his eyes boring into me. I glanced at Oliver, who nodded. I figured one dance might convince him to leave us alone for the rest of the night so I acquiesced, following him out onto the already crowded dance floor. He immediately pulled me close to him and I involuntarily stiffened a bit, setting my hand on his shoulder and trying to relax.

"How long have you been in town?" Lex asked, as we began to glide across the floor.

"Um. A few months, I'm Jimmy's cousin. Jimmy from the Planet? I work there, too." I concentrated on not tripping over my strappy sandals.

"And you managed to snag yourself a billionaire in the process," Lex continued smoothly, although I could feel the barb in his words and felt my lip curl.

"I didn't even know who Oliver was when I met him," I said, my voice a bit cooler than I intended. "I don't care if he has money or not. Not that it's any of your business." I could feel Oliver's eyes on us from the bar and was suddenly desperate to get back to him.

"Actually, it is," Lex murmured, leaning in close so his lips were near my ear. "Oliver is friends with Clark, who is very, very interesting to me. Oliver's business is my business, which makes YOU my business. I'd watch my step if I were Oliver." With that, his hand, which had been resting in the small of my back, slid low enough for him to tell what kind of underwear I had on. I jerked back, pushing him away.

"Thanks for the dance," I said sarcastically, and wove back through the crowd to Oliver, shaking my head. "What an asshole," I muttered to him. His face was dark with anger.

"What did he say to you?" He handed me a glass of champagne and pulled me to him protectively, sliding his arm around my waist.

"He said I was his business. Because since you're friends with Clark, your business is his business. And that you should watch your step. He's creepy, Ollie, I can see why no one likes him. He makes me really uncomfortable." I involuntarily shivered again.

"Let's leave," Oliver said suddenly. I stared at him; his face was tense and his eyes hard.

"Don't you have to mingle?" I asked, confused. "Isn't that part of your job?"

"I don't want to spend ten more seconds in the same room as Lex Luthor," he replied roughly, and took my hand. "Let's go enjoy the rest of our evening." He led me outside to the waiting car and we slid into the backseat. I slipped closer to him and he relaxed, sliding the divider between us and the driver up after giving him directions to Black Box. "Sorry if I seemed terse," he apologized, dropping a kiss on my cheek. "I can't stand Lex."

"I can see why," I replied, snuggling up to him. "He's revolting. But I think I know a way to cheer you up," I said slyly, and began to drop soft little kisses on his neck. A small sigh escaped him and his eyes closed as he leaned back against the seat, pulling me closer to him.

"Driver, can you please circle for a while?" he pressed the intercom button and I snickered, loosening his tie. "Ella…" I smiled wickedly at him and he yanked me to him, pressing his lips firmly against mine.

A bit later, I hastily fixed my updo in a small compact I had tucked into my purse. "I hope Jimmy and Chloe aren't mad we're late," I said, making a kissy face and snapping the compact shut.

Oliver shrugged. "Hey, it was worth it even if they are." He winked at me and I giggled, kissing the tip of his nose. He gently pushed a lock of hair off of my face, smiling at me. "You make me so happy."

"Likewise," I replied, kissing him again. "Now let's ring in the New Year, Queen." I jumped out of the limo and was once again blinded by the paparazzi's flash bulbs but ignored them, taking Oliver's hand as he climbed out behind me and we darted into the bar.

"ELLA!" I heard Jimmy even over the bass pumping out of the speakers and turned to see him standing at the bar with Chloe, Clark, Lois, Lana, A.C., and Bart. I waved and began to push through the crowd, pulling Oliver behind me. As I reached them, Bart immediately stepped forward.

"Wonderful to see you again," he said smoothly, kissing my knuckles. "You look amazing." I giggled in spite of myself and Oliver rolled his eyes.

"She's still with me, Bart," he said, shaking his head but grinning, and Bart sighed loudly.

"I knew it, just my luck." I crinkled my nose at him and grinned and then turned to Chloe, who hugged me tightly.

"You look gorgeous!" she exclaimed, making me spin. "I love that dress!"

"She was the most beautiful girl there," Oliver said, pulling me close to him to kiss me. Everyone made groaning and retching noises, and we laughed. Jimmy passed us drinks and before I knew it, everyone in the bar was shouting out the countdown. Oliver pulled me to him, pressing his nose to mine and grinning, and at the stroke of midnight pressed his lips to mine, both of us smiling.

Lois approached me about an hour later, practically twitching, she was so uncomfortable. She motioned for me to follow her into the relatively quieter hallway in front of the bathrooms, where she leaned against the wall, biting her lip.

"Look, I'm sorry," she blurted out, her face the color of a plum tomato. "It was that damn lipstick, I had _no_ idea what I was even doing, Ella, please believe me-"

I cut her off. "Lois, it's fine. Chloe explained. Apology accepted." She blinked at me in disbelief, hesitating before speaking again.

"Thank you," she mumbled. "Trust me, the humiliation is punishment enough." She shook her head ruefully and I laughed before following her back out to the bar, where she bought us two shots of tequila. I saw Oliver staring out of the corner of his eyes and winked at him; his face crumpled into relief and he smiled.

The new year rang itself in rather uneventfully. Oliver and I spent New Year's Day lounging around his apartment and drinking coffee while we watched icy rain drizzle down the windows.


	23. Chapter 23

About a month later, Oliver had to go out of town for a weeklong business trip. I stood outside that morning, hugging him tightly and shivering a bit in the early morning chill as we waited for his car.

"I'm going to miss you so much," he said into my ear, pressing his lips against the side of my head. "I'll call you every chance I get, though." I nodded, tilting my face up to kiss him as his car pulled up against the curb, its wheels crunching through the slush.

"Be safe," I said firmly, kissing him one more time. He slipped into the car and waved; I watched the taillights fade into the darkness before loping off towards Jimmy's apartment. Oliver had offered his place to me while he was gone but I had refused, looking forward to quality time with my cousin and Chloe. I let myself in quietly and dropped onto my futon, yawning hugely.

Chloe woke me up a couple hours later with the smell of freshly brewed coffee. "Morning," I called sleepily, heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth and slap on makeup before work.

"Morning," she called back. When I came back out, dressed but still cracking jaw-breaking yawns, Chloe and Jimmy were sipping coffee at the counter and watching the news. "Are you staying here for a while?" Chloe asked, handing me a steaming mug.

"Ollie is gone for a week," I said, shrugging. "I'll be here. He said I could stay at his place but I missed you two." I grinned at them but Jimmy rolled his eyes, swirling his coffee in his favorite Crows mug.

"You know, it's not a rule that you have to stay at Oliver's every single night," he said rather sourly, and I rolled my eyes. _Touchy. _I sat down on the edge of my futon, still gripping my coffee mug, and began to pull on knee-high gray boots.

"Jimmy. I see you all day at work and we hang out probably three nights a week; it's not like we never spend time together. Plus, me staying at Oliver's gives you and Chloe privacy. So stop bitching." I smiled beatifically at him and took a sip of coffee, watching him over the rim of the mug.

"Yeah, Ella, but is he even there every night with you?" Jimmy retorted childishly, and Chloe elbowed him in the ribs. He groaned and I cocked my head at them, confused.

"What are you talking about?" I asked in slight bewilderment. "Of course he is. Sometimes he has to run into the office, but it's not a big deal; I usually fall asleep waiting for him to get back. What's it to you, anyway?"

"Never mind," Jimmy mumbled, wilting under the furious glare Chloe was drilling him with. I narrowed my eyes as well.

"What are you two not telling me?" I snapped, unnerved by their odd behavior. Jimmy slammed back the rest of his coffee and stood, yanking on his coat.

"I said never mind," he replied, avoiding my eyes. "I'm just irritable. Not enough caffeine _or_ sleep lately." He grabbed his camera bag off the counter and headed for the door; Chloe and I quickly finished our coffee as well and followed him.

The next four days were hectic at the Planet; I was helping Lois with a story and she was running me ragged. The previous nights I had grabbed coffee and a muffin for dinner with Chloe and stayed at the office until midnight; tonight was no different. Oliver called me at around 8:00, sounding tired.

"Hey you," I said, smiling as I took a sip of Diet Coke and pushed my keyboard away from me. "I miss your face."

"I miss you more," he replied. I could hear the crinkling of plastic in the background as he unwrapped what was most likely a protein bar. "I can't wait to see you, Ella. I feel like a total wimp, but it's not the same when you're not around."

"Well, hurry up and get back," I replied, waving Lois off as she came hurrying up to me, weighted down by an enormous box of paper I knew I would be sifting through shortly. She dropped it on my desk, winked, and turned swiftly on her high heel, darting back to her desk. "It's no fun without you here. I'm going to be at the Planet late _again_ tonight and I have no excuse to leave… Lois knows you're gone so she's all '_You don't have anything better to do_.'" I scowled and Oliver laughed.

"Only a few more days," he said soothingly. "And you may need to use one of your vacation days so we can catch up on things, if you know what I mean." I giggled and felt my face go pink.

"Alright, loverboy, I have to go. I have the equivalent of the Domesday Survey to sort through before I go home tonight." I sighed. "I'll text you before bed, ok? Miss you, love you."

"I love you too, Harrow," Oliver replied. I hung up, chugged the rest of my soda, and kicked off my high heels before digging into the enormous box in front of me.

By the time I finished, Lois, Chloe, Jimmy and I were the only ones left in the office. It was nearly 2:00a and I said a silent prayer of thanks that the next day was Saturday. I yawned, stretching and wincing as my spine cracked in three places. "You all done?" Lois asked, rubbing her face tiredly. She had enormous dark circles under her eyes and I wondered just how much later than me she had been staying at night. I nodded. "You can go, Ella. Thanks for all your help. I'll see you this weekend, I'm sure."

"Thanks Lois," I replied gratefully, jumping to my feet and pulling on my coat and gloves. "Chlo, Jimmy, you heading home?" I wound my scarf around my neck, bundling up against the icy cold temperatures that had been assailing Metropolis the past few days.

"Not for a little while," Chloe said absentmindedly, hunched over her computer as she typed furiously. Jimmy was sifting through a file of photographs, his eyes red-rimmed with exhaustion.

"We'll see you in a bit," Jimmy added. "Let's get brunch tomorrow, yeah?" I nodded and waved before making my way out of the Planet onto the dark sidewalk. I walked quickly towards Jimmy's apartment, my breath making small clouds in front of me. The cold air stung my cheeks and I breathed it in happily, enjoying the chill. I heard footsteps behind me but didn't think anything of it as I passed a few closed storefronts, the only light on the sidewalk shining dimly from a couple of streetlights.

Suddenly, someone had grabbed me roughly by the arm, flinging me against the brick wall of the building. I smacked my head and saw white stars but immediately fought back, kicking out and making contact, hard. The man who had grabbed me grunted angrily and snatched both of my wrists in one hand, pinning me against the wall again. "Give me your purse," he growled. I sneered but shrugged it off my shoulder. He grabbed it and stuffed it inside his coat, but then turned his attention back to me. He leered in my face, and I could smell stale alcohol wafting off his hot breath. "You're not bad," he said, his eyes raking up and down my body. Still gripping both my wrists he spun me and began to drag me into the pitch-black alley next to the building.

"Help!" I shouted in panic, kicking at him as hard as I could, but I knew it was futile. It was late and no one was on the streets in this part of the city at this hour. He pushed me to the ground and I tried to scramble back to my feet, but was rewarded with a sharp crack to the side of my face.

Suddenly, the man was quite literally snatched off his feet. I grabbed my purse from where he had dropped it and sprang to a standing position, backing away from him. He was struggling against a figure bedecked in green leather; the figure had a hood over his hair and dark sunglasses on, but something about him was vaguely familiar. I stared hard, squinting through the darkness, but the figure shoved my attacker against the wall with such force that the man fell silently, knocked clean out.

"Thank you," I stammered, advancing towards him. "I…" I stared even harder, intrigued by the hard lines of his jaw. "Do I know you?" Before I could take a step closer, he was gone, the only sound the rush of air as he darted off.

I sprinted back to Jimmy's apartment on a mixed rush of fear and adrenaline; letting myself in, I immediately slammed and locked the door and whipped my cell phone out of my bag, dialing Chloe.

"Hey," she said tiredly, picking up after two rings. "We're leaving here in about 15 minutes."

"I got attacked on the way home," I blurted out. I had just noticed my hands were shaking and I sank down onto my futon, attempting to unbutton my coat but failing miserably.

"What?" Chloe asked, alarmed. I could hear Jimmy asking what was wrong in the background. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm OK," I said quickly. "A guy… he grabbed my purse, and then dragged me into the alley. He knocked me down but then this…person, this person in green leather, he saved me. He looked so familiar, Chloe, I swear I knew him from somewhere. He knocked the guy out and just…disappeared." I stopped, still trembling.

"We're coming back," Chloe said abruptly. "We'll see you in five minutes."

"Be careful," I pleaded, and hung up, immediately dialing Oliver. His phone rang five times before he answered, sounding sleepy.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, and I immediately spilled the entire story to him, suddenly feeling close to tears. He calmed me down, demanding that I get Chloe and Jimmy to check out my injuries as soon as they got back, and stayed on the phone with me until they walked in the door.

"Oh, no," Chloe said worriedly, taking my chin in her hand to examine my face. "Ella, how do you feel? Do you feel sick or dizzy? How hard did you hit your head?" She examined my face carefully.

"Hard," I admitted. "But I didn't pass out or anything. And I'm not dizzy." Jimmy took the phone out of my hand and began to talk to Oliver in a low voice while Chloe continued to inspect my injuries.

"Well, I don't think you have a concussion," she finally said, taking one last look at the cut on my cheek. "And I don't think you need stitches. But you're still shaking, Ella. Let me make you something hot to drink."

"I'm coming home," Oliver said, his voice amplified due to the fact that Jimmy had put him on speakerphone so he could talk to Chloe. "I'll get a flight, Ella, and be there by morning."

"No, Ollie," I protested, kicking off my heels and pulling my stocking feet under me. "I'm fine, I swear. And tomorrow is Saturday. And I'm staying at Jimmy's, he'll look out for me. You don't need to cut your trip short."

"I'll think about it," Oliver finally conceded. "But I think I should come home." I argued with him a few more minutes before finally convincing him that he should stay put. "Alright, Harrow. Call me as soon as you wake up. I love you."

"Love you too," I replied, hanging up. I finished the mug of tea that Chloe had handed me and smiled weakly at her and Jimmy. "I'm fine, you know. I'm ok now. Thanks for taking care of me."

"Are you sure?" Jimmy asked, bouncing on his heels. "I can stay up with you if you want." I shook my head.

"No way," I replied. "I'm exhausted and I know you are too. All I want to do is sleep and then get a fantastic brunch tomorrow." I glanced in the mirror hanging on the wall over the couch for the first time that night and winced. "Although I'm definitely going to need some concealer." I had a small cut on my cheekbone, and it was already puffy and bruising. "Ew." I shooed the two of them off to bed and pulled on sweatpants and a comfy shirt, but didn't go to bed myself. Instead, I yanked out my computer.

"Green leather," I mused to myself. "Why does that sound so familiar?" Jamming in my headphones, I opened up an Internet window and went to Google. "Erm…" Thinking for a moment, I then hesitantly typed in "Green leather hero Metropolis" and hit return with a shrug. I immediately was confronted with dozens of websites, news stories, and blurry pictures of "Green Arrow", Metropolis' own vigilante hero.

That's why the leather and the color sounded so familiar; I remembered Chloe and Lois running a few stories on the Green Arrow when I had started at the Planet. I stared at the pictures, unable to make much out, and ran over the face that I had burned into my mind earlier that night. It looked so familiar… an hour later, I could barely keep my eyes open after skimming dozens of stories and set my laptop on the floor, dropping back into bed and falling asleep in minutes.


End file.
